Babar Azam earns Rs4.5m per month, reveals PCB

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed that captain Babar Azam, along with fellow Category A players, earns Rs4.5 million per month.

This disclosure, reported by The News on Monday, comes amid increasing scrutiny of the national team following their early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

According to the publication Pakistan cricket team Category A players, which include Babar, Rizwan and star pacer Shaheen Afridi, are paid Rs4.5 million per month as per their central contracts.

Meanwhile, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Azman, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah are paid Rs3 million per month in Category B.

Category C players are paid between Rs750,00 to Rs1.5 million per month and include players such as Imad Wasim.

Meanwhile, Category D players are also paid the same as Category C and include players with the likes of Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Saim Ayub and others.

It is to be noted that the aforesaid figures reflect only the monthly salaries of the players who also earn match fees and win bonuses across all three formats (Test, ODI, T20I) along with sponsorship perks.

The development comes as the team has been under scrutiny following their early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 with the board considering making changes to the players’ central contracts

Some players are expected to be demoted due to poor performances, whereas others might lose their central contracts altogether.

Dismal performance: PCB to review domestic contracts of cricketers

The existing three-year central contracts were awarded last year and came into effect from July 1, 2023, after the then-PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf was pressurised by players for increased remunerations, sources had told Geo News.

Meanwhile, skipper Babar Azam and wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan are at risk of losing category A in their central contracts. However, the salaries of the national cricketers will not be slashed, the sources added.

Additionally, there are concerns that the players may refuse central contracts if they are demoted and might opt to play freely without the restrictions.

Currently, the board is waiting for head coach Gary Kirsten’s report as it will make decisions in light of it. Moreover, senior manager Wahab Riaz will also present a report which will be reviewed before final decisions.