Player pressure floors cricket board

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to crumble under pressure after national players refused to sign a short-duration contract ahead of the World Cup.
Reliable sources privy to the ongoing negotiations between the Board and senior players of the Pakistan team told ‘The News’ on Monday that PCB is willing to accept most of the player demands.
“The PCB is set to agree to most of the demands of senior players in a bid to avoid any pre-World Cup controversy,” a source said. “The Board believes that it was well within its rights to offer a three-month contract to the players but is willing to reconsider because any turmoil before the World Cup could have a disastrous impact on Pakistan’s World Cup chances,” he added.
The central contracts which the PCB offers to leading players expired on December 31. Instead of offering fresh one-year contracts, which is normally the case, the Board opted to offer contracts till March 31.
Apparently the idea was to review the list of central contracts after the World Cup. The quadrennial tournament to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand will begin on February 14 and conclude on March 29.
The Board was of the view that some of the senior players including skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, all-rounder Shahid Afridi and senior batsman Younis Khan will not be a part of Pakistan’s one-day squad after the World Cup. Both Misbah and Afridi have already announced their plans to retire from ODI cricket after the World Cup while Younis’ inclusion in the one-day squad will depend on how he fares in the 14-nation spectacle.
There are also doubts about iconic spinner Saeed Ajmal retaining his place in the list of central contracts considering that he has been out of action since last August because of an illegal bowling action. Though Ajmal has also been offered a contract, it remains to be seen whether the off-spinner will be able to return to national duty anytime soon.
“Though top Board officials are willing to accept most of the players’ terms, they are not happy with such pressure tactics,” a source told this correspondent. “They believe that our players shouldn’t have blackmailed the Board especially at a time when the all-important World Cup is just a few weeks away,” he added.
However, a source close to some of the senior players, said that the cricketers have been seething over the Board’s move regarding the short-term contracts. “The players are of the view that the Board shouldn’t have resorted to such meanness. They are also unhappy with a few clauses in the contract regarding endorsements and individual sponsorship,” he said.
The players are also seeking a pay raise in the new contracts and want the Board to give them win bonuses per match rather than on a series basis.