On September 27, 2023, in Lahore, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)officially announced the successful negotiation of a three-year centralcontracts deal with its senior players, which will be in effect from July1, 2023, to June 30, 2026.
This significant deal will encompass 25 cricketers and will include a shareof ICC revenue. Notably, a change from the previous year is theconsolidation of red-ball and white-ball national contracts into a singlecategory.
This decision, proposed by the central contract committee, aims to assessplayers based on their ability to contribute to winning matches and promotea transparent and equitable selection process.
The players will be categorized into four tiers, with substantialincreases in their monthly retainers, and the ICC revenue will be factoredinto their overall monthly earnings:
– Category A (3 players): 202% increase
– Category B (6 players): 144% increase
– Category C (2 players): 135% increase
– Category D (14 players): 127% increase
The following is the list of players along with their respectivecategories who are being offered these contracts:
Category A: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi
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Category B: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, NaseemShah, and Shadab Khan
Category C: Imad Wasim and Abdullah Shafique
Category D: Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, MohammadHaris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmad, SaudShakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan
The match fees for players will also see significant increases: 50%increment for Test matches, 25% for ODIs, and 12.5% for T20Is.
Additionally, centrally contracted players participating in domesticcricket will receive 50% of the international match fee and will be allowedto participate in two foreign leagues each season.
This three-year contract period will maintain its financial structurethroughout its duration, although player performance will be reviewed every12 months.
The previous central contract cycle expired on June 30, and the newagreement will be effective from July 1, 2023. Zaka Ashraf, PCB ManagementCommittee Chairperson, stated, “I am pleased to announce that after lengthynegotiations, the PCB has come to a financial agreement with the players…We firmly believe that a financially secure and motivated team is morelikely to excel on the field.”
Pakistan captain Babar Azam commented, “It is a historic deal… It is atestament to the hard work and dedication of all players towards the game.”
