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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Pak Women contract-less during ICC World T20

By AFP
November 18, 2018

LAHORE: Pakistan women’s centrally-contracted players have not been paid their monthly retainers for more than six months, living off match fees and expenses as the PCB goes through a change in leadership.

Twenty players were centrally contracted with the PCB through the first half of the year (women’s contracts are on a six-month basis) and 20 again are expected to receive them for the second half of the year.

But because of changes in the board administration in recent months, an agreement was reached with the players that the new contracts would be ready to sign when they return from the Caribbean after the ongoing Women’s World T20. The new contracts are more stringently performance and fitness-based.

Each member of the squad also receives monthly salaries from their domestic sides but during their recent tours of Bangladesh and Malaysia, and now the WWT20, they were receiving only match fees and US$75 daily expense allowances. During the month-long camp heading into the tournament, they received US$50 as a daily allowance.

It is understood that the contract payments for the period July-December 2018 are the ones delayed because they could not be signed off on before the team left for Bangladesh.

Former captain Bismah Maroof met with the PCB selection committee to discuss the delay and it was agreed that players would be paid the outstanding six-and-a-half month’s salaries as well as their new contracts upon their return from the Caribbean.

Their match fees will also be paid out at the end of the tour. With just one win against Ireland from their three group games, Pakistan will not progress to the semi-finals in Antigua.