Pakistan Cricket Board to Penalize Players Over Poor Performance

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to penalize senior players by reducing their salaries following a string of disappointing performances by the national team. The team’s recent losses against the West Indies in an ODI series and a T20I series against Bangladesh have prompted the board to take action. The PCB plans to deduct salaries by removing the 3% share of ICC revenue from the central contracts, a move that could significantly impact players like Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi. This decision is expected to be implemented before the Asia Cup 2025, potentially costing the players a total of $6 million. The PCB had increased the budget for retaining players last year but is unlikely to increase match fees. Test match players currently earn around 1.2 million rupees, while ODI and T20I players earn 600,000 and 400,000 rupees respectively. Category A players receive 657,500 Pakistani rupees per month, with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan being the only players in this category. The salary cuts are expected to affect all categories of players, as the ICC revenue share will be removed.