Declining Standards on the Field

The national team’s poor performances have put hefty payments to cricketers under intense spotlight, and this year will likely be the last time that the central contract includes 3% of the ICC’s revenue share. Having followed Pakistan Cricket for over two decades, I’ve witnessed many ups and downs, but the recent performance has been extremely disappointing by any standard. The team won only one out of three Tests, managed victories in just two of eleven One Day Internationals, and in T20s, won seven out of fourteen matches while losing the other seven. What’s particularly concerning is how the 10th-ranked Bangladesh defeated the Green Shirts 2–1 in a T20I series, while the West Indies, starting as the 10th-ranked ODI side, won their series 2–1 to move up to 9th place.

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The situation has become increasingly frustrating as Pakistan has slipped to 8th in T20I rankings, 7th in Tests while remaining fifth in ODIs. The team has started losing frequently even against inexperienced opponents, leaving fans deeply disheartened. The PCB is extremely dissatisfied with the players’ performance, and sources revealed that players have not been paid for shirt logo sponsorship for several months. Two years ago, senior cricketers pressured the then-chairman of the management committee to agree, for the first time in history, to give players 3% of the ICC’s earnings. Although legal complications have prevented the current administration from ending this arrangement outright, it will likely be included for the last time in the new contracts. The central contract stipulates that any player representing the country in Tests, ODIs, or T20 Internationals will receive a portion of the income the board earns from team logo sponsorships, to be paid at the conclusion of each series. Some officials believe that no other cricket board in the world pays players separately for shirt logos, so Pakistan should not either. However, under the current agreement, such payments are mandatory.

PCB sources, on the other hand, claim that these amounts are now paid along with the central contract amounts, and this will continue. The PCB has increased the budget for retainership expenses by 37% (319 million rupees) compared to last year, taking the total to around 1,173.49 million rupees. While this suggests an increase, the earlier understanding from two years ago means that in the 2025–26 contracts, the match fees and monthly salaries will remain unchanged. The match fees for all four categories are as follows: Test match 1,257,795 rupees, ODI match 644,620 rupees, T20 match 418,584 rupees. In Category A, cricketers receive 4.5 million rupees monthly from the contract, plus 2.07 million rupees from the ICC share, bringing their total to 6.57 million rupees per month. In Category B, players receive 3 million rupees monthly, plus 1.5525 million from the ICC share, totaling 4.5525 million rupees per month. In Category C, players get 1 million rupees monthly, plus 1.035 million from the ICC share, totaling 2.035 million rupees per month. In Category D, players receive 750,000 rupees monthly, plus 517,500 rupees from the ICC share, totaling 1.2675 million rupees per month. Last year, contracts were signed with 25 players. This year, five more will be added, bringing the total to 30. The announcement of the new central contracts is expected later this month.