Top Pakistan cricketers request a hike in match fees - Reports
Top Pakistan cricketers including skipper Babar Azam and wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan have requested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to increase their match fees, reports cricketpakistan.com.pk.
Last month, the PCB announced a performance-based central contract list for 20 players. The list included three emerging players and the match fees were equal for all cricketers. In the wake of the development, the likes of Babar, Rizwan, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi have requested a hike in their wages.
Incidentally, the PCB had only increased the match fees of Grade B and C cricketers to bring uniformity while the retainership percentage for Grade A players was increased by 25 percent.
According to the report, the cricketers were not satisfied with the current match fees in the Test, ODIs and T20Is as per the new contract. One of the cricketers has also intimated the same with the Director of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Zakir Khan.
Although Zakir Khan has not commented on the issue, the report added that the player is confident that the PCB will not decline the request. However, the PCB has denied rumors that cricketers have approached them for a rise in match fees.
Four Pakistan cricketers were given Grade A contracts
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan, fast bowler Shaheen Afridi and pacer Hasan Ali were awarded Grade A contracts. The likes of Azhar Ali and Sarfaraz Ahmed were assigned to Grade B and C categories respectively.
Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Hasnain and Nauman Ali are the new faces to be handed contracts in 2021-22. However, the likes of Shan Masood, Haris Sohail, Usman Shinwari, Iftikhar Ahmed and Imad Wasim were among those who were dropped.
Contract List:
Category A – Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi
Category B – Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Fawad Alam, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah
Category C – Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali and Sarfaraz Ahmed
Emerging Category – Imran Butt, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir