Pakistan's cricketers to get 25% pay rise with new contracts

Centrally contracted Pakistan players will receive a 25% increase in their monthly retainers and higher match fees, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Thursday after awarding deals to 31 players. The PCB said it had enhanced the monthly fees by 25% at all levels and had also increased test match fees by the same amount.

"We have also increased the fees for one-day internationals by 10% while the players' share of the logo fee has also been revised upward by 15%. Some of the individual performance incentives have also been made more competitive," chief selector Moin Khan said.

Moin, who is also manager of the national side, said the board had also increased incentives for the team including win bonuses. The payout for a series win against the three teams at the top of the International Cricket Council rankings (Australia, South Africa and England), as well as India, has been increased from 200% to 250%. "We have taken into consideration all factors, fitness and performances, before deciding upon the players who should be given contracts for 2014 and the list includes some promising youngsters," he added.

Category A contracts were given to captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Junaid Khan while senior batsman Younis Khan has been relegated to category B.

Younis, who has not played a Twenty20 international since 2010 and has not been selected for a one-day international since March 2013, sits alongside Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and pace bowler Umar Gul in the second tier.

The players in the top category will be paid a monthly retainer of around 400,000 Pakistani rupees ($4,100) while those in category B will receive approximately 330,000 Pakistani rupees a month.