PCB to reduce central contracts duration but decides against pay cut for Pakistan cricketers

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday decided to reduce duration of its central contracts from three years to one but opted against reducing payment to its players.

The decisions were taken during a meeting in Lahore called by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

Among those present in the meeting were Pakistan’s new red-ball coach Jason Gillespie, white-ball coach Gary Kirsten, selectors Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood and other senior officials.

The board said it intends to make significant overhauls to its policies after the national team’s debacle in the T20 World Cup, wherein Pakistan failed to make the Super Eight stage following defeats to India and the USA.

“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, behaviour and form all to be assessed every 12 months,” a board official said.

Last year, the former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf had an agreement with the players following which they were issued central contracts guaranteeing no change in agreement clauses and financials for a period of three years.

The official said PCB has now made it mandatory for all centrally and domestic contracted players to undergo fitness tests every three months. The two head coaches would regulate the tests.

It was also decided that while considering player applications to obtain NOCs to play foreign leagues, stringent technical guidelines would be followed wherein the primary objective would be to ensure the player’s fitness and availability for the national team.

“Only (those) players with a high fitness and performance criteria will receive NOCs, ensuring a high standard of representation in international leagues,” the official said.

It was decided in the meeting that all players will have to appear in domestic cricket mandatorily and selectors have been asked to monitor this before selecting any player for the national teams.

The official said everyone present in the meeting unanimously decided that there should be zero tolerance on disciplinary cases and instances of player making groups will be met with strict penalties, in order to uphold team unity and morale.

Plans are also underway to upgrade the high-performance centres nationwide to bolster grassroots cricket.

New centres in Islamabad and Peshawar are set to be established with Gillespie and Kirsten tasked to oversee these initiatives.