Why did Pakistan Cricket Board withhold salaries of star players for four months?

It seems the misery doesn’t seem to end for the Pakistan Cricket Board and the players. According to reports doing the rounds, the PCB hasn’t paid salaries to their top cricket stars for the last 4 months. Both the men’s and women’s teams have yet to be paid by the PCB since June. 

According to reports doing the rounds, the bad performances in the last few months have been touted as one of the reasons. The likes of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan are yet to be paid. 

🚨 PCB has not paid salaries to the Pakistan team for the past 4 months. (Saleem Khaliq/Express News).

- Due to their recent poor performance, the players are currently not in a strong position to negotiate. pic.twitter.com/YRkGxgZe4B

— 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞 (@CallMeSheri1) October 2, 2024

One report stated, “Last year, prior to the World Cup, players pressured the board to secure a favorable contract. But the current situation has changed dramatically. They haven’t received their monthly salaries for the last four months. from July to October they have been left waiting despite numerous reminders”. 

Pakistan Cricket Board responds to rumors 

It hasn’t been a great year for Pakistan cricket and the latest news will not sit down well with their fans. The PCB while responding to the rumors said “It is a work in progress, as soon as the lists are finalized, contracts will be offered with effect from 1st July 2024”

Babar Azam’s recent resignation has also created lots of uncertainty. According to reports, Fakhar Zaman and Saud Shakeel are in the race for the leadership role in the white ball formats. Both players have seemingly impressed the board during the Champions One Day Cup tournament. 

According to insider reports, Babar Azam wasn’t happy with a few observations made by Gary Kirsten. The former South African star is the white ball coach for Pakistan. The insider in the know said, “Babar was not happy with the observations and recommendations of Kirsten and even assistant coach, Azhar Mahmood and felt he was solely being blamed for the disappointing performances."

Yet another unnamed source said, “He had indicated to the cricket board after some parts of Kirsten’s report became public that he was not interested in remaining captain." Such reports are coming at a time when Pakistani cricket isn’t in great health. After losing at home to Bangladesh, Shan Masood and his team will now take on England in a three-match Test series starting on Monday.