Karachi, March 27: The Pakistan Cricket Board has introduced clauses for tough sanctions for the players showing indiscipline and found involved in activities like match-fixing, betting or ball tampering in its central contracts.
According to the details obtained by PTI, the players have been given time till April 5 to sign their new contracts.
Any player who does not sign the contract will be eligible to play for Pakistan but will receive match fees and other bonus reserved for the ‘C’ category players and will also not be entitled to a monthly salary.
Well informed sources told PTI that the Board has included the tough clauses in the contracts that were recently offered to 18 players, plus stipends to 19 other players.
“Under the clauses if a player is found involved in match-fixing, betting or ball tampering he will be fined between Rs 0.5 million to 2 million and face a ban of a maximum of five matches,” one source said.
“But if a player appears in a league or match that is not recognised by the Board or in any match without the permission of the Board he can face a fine of up to Rs 5 million and could be banned from one to five years,” the source added.
The contracts also had good news for the players, with an increase in their match fees and bonus for Twenty20 matches. This comes just before the World Twenty20 tournament.
“The Board has not increased the match fees for Test or one-day internationals that remain the same as last year,” a source in the PCB said.
The match fees for T20 matches has been increased for ‘A’ category players from Rs 1,50,000 to 2,50,000, for ‘B’ category players from Rs 1,00,000 to 2,00,000 and for ‘C’ category from Rs 75,000 to 1,50,000.
The Board has also offered other financial incentives to players including a bonus of 300 per cent of their total match fees for winning an ICC event, 200 per cent bonus for winning a one-day or Test series against India or any of the top-four teams.
The Board has also introduced individual incentives like a prize of Rs 1,00,000 for a run out, or a bonus of Rs 3,00,000 for scoring a Test century and 5,00,000 for making a double hundred.
The match fees for Tests and ODIs remain the same, which are for ‘A’ category Rs 3,50,000 and 3,00,000, for ‘B’ category Rs 3,00,000 and 2,50,000 and for ‘C’ category Rs 2,50,000 and 2,00,000 respectively.
——-PTI