On Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board decided not to cut player salaries but to shorten the central contracts from three years to one.
On Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board decided not to cut player salaries but to shorten the central contracts from three years to one. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi called a meeting in Lahore when decisions were made. The meeting was attended by selectors Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, new Pakistani red-ball coach Jason Gillespie, white-ball coach Gary Kirsten, and other top authorities. The board announced that, in response to Pakistan’s national team’s disastrous performance in the T20 World Cup—which saw them lose to both India and the United States and ultimately miss out on the Super Eight stage—it plans to significantly modify its policy.
According to a board official, “the selectors have recommended no change in the financial part of the central contracts which would now be revised into 12-month contracts with players fitness, behavior, and form all to be assessed every 12 months.”
The players received central contracts last year that guaranteed no changes to agreement conditions and financials for three years, as a result of an arrangement with former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf.
According to the official, PCB has now mandated that all players under contract, both domestically and centrally, must participate in fitness testing every three months. The tests would be controlled by the two head coaches.
Furthermore, it was determined that strict technical parameters would be adhered to when evaluating player applications for NOCs to play in foreign leagues, with the main goal being to guarantee the player’s availability and fitness for the national team.
An excellent level of representation in foreign leagues will be ensured, the official stated, “only (those) players with a high fitness and performance criteria will receive NOCs.”
The meeting resolved that all players must play in domestic cricket matches on a regular basis. Before choosing any player for the national teams, selectors have been advised to keep an eye on this.
According to the official, in order to maintain team cohesion and morale, all attendees at the meeting agreed to impose strong sanctions on player making groups and to have zero tolerance for disciplinary cases. There are also plans to improve high-performance centers around the country in order to support cricket at the grassroots level.
Gillespie and Kirsten will be in charge of these projects as more facilities are planned to be opened in Peshawar and Islamabad.
