Pakistan players decided to increase their salaries despite winning only two Tests last year

Pakistan’s centrally contracted players in the Track A red-ball category will see their match fees increase and their monthly salaries will also be increased in the 2026/27 cycle.

A reliable source from the Pakistan Cricket Board said that the committee, which includes white and red ball head coaches Mike Hesson and Sarfaraz Ahmed, has finalized the drafts of the new contracts. He said the PCB was emphasizing on bigger prize money for players who will play Test cricket in the Track A category.

“Their match fees are expected to be around PKR 1.5 million while their monthly retainer will be in the range of Rs 4 million before tax. Earlier in the last contracts, the players were getting Test match fees of around PKR 800,000,” said the source.

Interestingly, these are hints that the PCB may not disclose the names and categories of players who will be given central contracts, which would be a first in Pakistan cricket and has already led to criticism of the board.

The source said that players who will be given category A and B contracts, meaning those selected to play Tests and white-ball formats, will be paid the most as they will receive monthly advances of around PKR 4.8-5 million in addition to their match fees. The source said the management has also added new financial bonuses for winning the ICC and Asia Cup tournaments with players guaranteed a 500 per cent match fee bonus if they win the ICC tournament and 300 per cent for the Asian level tournament.

Interestingly, players who get contracts only in the Track C category, reserved for those who will only play T20 leagues and franchises, will get a monthly advance of around PKR 1.2 to 1.5 million.

This is the first time that the PCB has announced the introduction of format-based central contracts.

Players who get contracts in Track B category only (ODIS and T20) will get up to 1.8 million monthly advances.

The board has yet to say how many players will get those contracts. PTI COR BS BS

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Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

18 Jun 2026 20:12 IST