Win ICC title, get 500% extra: new reward plan for cricketers in Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s centrally contracted cricketers are set for a significant pay hike, with players in the newly introduced red-ball Track A category expected to benefit the most from the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new contract system for the 2026-27 cycle.According to a reliable source, the PCB committee, which includes white ball head coach Mike Hesson and red ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, has finalized the draft contracts for the upcoming cycle.The PCB has laid special emphasis on rewarding players who feature regularly in Test cricket.“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 received Test match fees of around PKR 800,000,” the source said.The new structure is the first time the PCB has introduced format-based central contracts.Players selected in both Track A and Track B categories – covering the Test cricket and white-ball formats – are expected to be among the highest earners. Apart from the match fees, they are likely to receive monthly advances of around PKR 4.8 to 5 million.The board has also proposed attractive performance-based incentives. According to the source, the players will get a 500 percent bonus on their match fees if Pakistan wins the ICC tournament, while winning an Asian-level event like the Asia Cup would bring a 300 percent bonus.The source also revealed details of other categories. Players contracted only in Track B, which covers ODIs and T20Is, are expected to receive monthly advances of up to PKR 1.8 million.Meanwhile, cricketers placed in Track C – a category reserved for players involved only in T20 cricket and franchise leagues – are likely to receive monthly advances ranging from PKR 1.2 million to PKR 1.5 million.Interestingly, the PCB is also considering not releasing the names and categories of centrally contracted players. If implemented, it would be a first for Pakistan cricket and has already drawn criticism from some quarters.The PCB is yet to announce how many players will receive central contracts under the new format-based system.