The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed the lucrative monthly salaries earned by the nation’s top men’s cricketers. The board has disclosed updated central contract details that see substantial pay increases across all categories for Pakistan’s international players.
At the top of the pay scale are Pakistan’s elite cricketers like skipper Babar Azam, pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi, and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. These stars now fall into the highest ‘Category A’ tier, each earning a remarkable PKR 4.5 million per month under their central contracts.
This figure represents a staggering 200% raise compared to their previous pay, showing the PCB’s commitment to rewarding top performers and retaining their services in the middle of all the lucrative T20 league offers worldwide.
The salaries don’t stop there, Pakistan’s ‘Category B’ players, including the likes of Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, and young pace sensation Naseem Shah, are also cashing in with monthly paychecks of PKR 3 million, a 144% jump.
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Even those in the lower ‘Category C’ and ‘Category D’ tiers, comprising experienced campaigners like Imad Wasim and Iftikhar Ahmed, are seeing their monthly salaries rise between 127-135% to range from PKR 750,000 to PKR 1.5 million.
The complete salaries of players are part of the PCB’s new central contracts announced last September. Besides their retainers, players also receive match fees across all three formats and performance-based bonuses, reported The Express Tribune.
The substantial pay hikes come as the PCB responds to increasing scrutiny over player compensation, especially when compared to international benchmarks and the vast sums paid in domestic T20 leagues worldwide.
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Meanwhile, Pakistan are currently participating in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and USA and finds themselves in a do-or-die situation. Azam and Co. lost both their first two games to the USA and archrivals, India. They are up against Canada for their third league game and desperately need a win to stay in contention for qualifying for the Super Eight round.
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