Pakistan Cricket Board to deduct salary if players don’t meet required fitness standards

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the centrally contracted Pakistani players will have to suffer a pay cut if they don’t meet the minimum requirements in the fitness test scheduled to be conducted on 6 and 7 January.

There are 19 Pakistani players who are centrally contracted to PCB. They are divided in three categories – A, B and C. Players who are in category A get PKR 0.8 million per month, while those who are in category B and C get PKR 0.5 million and PKR 0.35 million respectively.

According to a statement released by the PCB, the players will be imposed a fine of 15% on their monthly salary if they don’t pass the fitness test with the required results. The fine will remain imposed on them till the time they achieve the required results.

It’s not just the centrally contracted players who will have to prove their fitness, the domestic players will have to go through it as well.

In case, the domestic players fail the test, it will hamper their chances of getting selected in their respective state sides for the Pakistan One Day Cup which is scheduled to be played in March-April.

PCB has also made it clear that the players were told well in advance about the fitness test and also about the requirements they are supposed to meet during the test.

Reading out a statement, PCB’s director of international Cricket Zakir Khan said, “There has always been an emphasis on the monitoring of players’ fitness levels."

"This time we have decided to enforce penalties, which is in accordance with the contracts, as part of our objective to make the players more accountable and responsible for maintaining high fitness standards throughout the year, which is one of the basic requirements any professional athlete.”

"All the players were informed last month of the PCB’s expectations and potential sanctions in the scenario of failures.

“These fitness tests will not be limited to the centrally contracted players, but will trickle down to the six Cricket Association teams. Their tests will be conducted by their respective coaches and trainers as per their own schedules and players failing to pass fitness tests will jeopardize their chances of featuring in the Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament to be held from 25 March to 19 April.”