PCB takes Babar Azam into confidence over central contract

LAHORE Aug 17 (Online): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made sure once more that team captain Babar Azam feels confident about the central contract.

According to the details, an agreement been made for the national cricket players’ new central contracts. An announcement will be made shortly.
Recently, Usman Wahla, the Director International of the Pakistan Cricket Board, had a meeting with Captain Babar Azam in Sri Lanka. During this meeting, and expressed his confidence in him.

According to the sources, all financial disagreements have been settled. However, there’s still a pending matter related to a sponsorship deal. The board has set a rule that anyone who might conflict with their sponsors cannot make their own sponsorship deal for any series. For example, if a bank is the main sponsor of a series, players can’t make a deal with a different bank.

The players had expressed concerns about this, which is why the contract announcement was delayed. Now, a proposal has been made to address this problem. It suggests that if there’s a different company other than the main sponsor, players can make their own deals with permission. Although the players haven’t responded yet, they’re likely to be flexible in their approach.

Remember that the PCB has increased the monthly retainership of players by more than double.

A-category players such as Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi will have the opportunity to earn as much as Rs 4.5 million per month, also enabling them to take part in one foreign league. The B-category players will receive up to 3 million rupees, and they can play in two foreign leagues per year. C-category players will receive an NOC for three events.

Recently, Zaka Ashraf, the head of the management committee, shared with the media in Lahore that player’s retainership has been doubled. Additional sources mentioned that the contracts were delayed because players were participating in leagues abroad. It’s probable that the new contract details will be revealed shortly.