The Pakistan ‘A’ squad won the Emerging Asia Cup on July 23 by defeating India ‘A’ in the championship match. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was anticipated to celebrate the victory, but if rumors are to be believed, they are in trouble because the national players have reportedly resisted signing contracts.
According to a report from Cricket Pakistan, a large number of Pakistan’s best cricketers have voiced their discontent with the upcoming central contract negotiations with PCB. The fact that the central contracts expired on June 30 and the players still went to Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series is noteworthy.
According to the report, Zaka Ashraf, who took over for Najam Sethi as the head of the PCB, is willing to meet with captain Babar Azam and his team to discuss their disagreements on the wage scale. Pay increases, insurance for themselves and their families, educational plans, and shares from ICC events are among the requests of the players. However, one non-negotiable demand is clarification on the NOC (No Objection Certificate) for franchise cricket.
The report also claims that Pakistani
Athletes receive less compensation than athletes from other countries. The Pakistani cricket governing body has requested USD 25,000 from each player as a participation fee in leagues like Major League Cricket and Global T20 Canada. However, the prize pool for the players is merely USD 5,000. After the squad returns from their series against Sri Lanka, Ashraf and the players are anticipated to meet.
While in Sri Lanka, Babar Azam’s team has been dominating. Saud Shakeel’s first double century in the first innings helped them overcome the hosts by four wickets in the first Test in Galle. After the opening day of play in the second Test in Colombo, when they bowled out the host team for 166 and completed 145/2 by stumps, they are in a good position.