Asia Cup delay pushes back central contracts negotiations

• PCB and Pakistani players’ central contract negotiations delayed due to Asia Cup 2023.
• PCB offers substantial compensation, while players seek more flexibility for franchise cricket leagues.
• New contracts announced for women’s cricket team and domestic cricket by PCB.

Negotiations between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Pakistani players regarding their central contracts have been ongoing, but the final announcement has been delayed due to the ongoing Asia Cup 2023.

The Pakistan cricket team has a busy schedule with their participation in the Asia Cup, making it difficult to finalize some remaining details.

While the PCB has offered substantial compensation in the contracts, the players are seeking more flexibility to participate in their preferred franchise cricket leagues. There are unresolved issues concerning revenue sharing and the players’ commercial rights in various leagues.

PCB officials had discussions with the players during their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Hambantota, but the contracts couldn’t be signed at that time. Players and board officials are expected to meet again soon to finalize the remaining details.

It’s worth noting that the contracts originally expired on June 30 but were extended by a month due to uncertainty regarding the PCB’s leadership. The extension of the contracts will continue until the new contracts are officially announced.

The PCB has already announced new contracts for the women’s cricket team and domestic cricket. Additionally, they have made changes to the central contracts, eliminating the red and white ball categories. Instead, the new contracts will be categorized into four groups: A, B, C, and D, for the players. Furthermore, the number of players under central contracts is set to be reduced from the previous 33 to 25 or 26.

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