Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new chairman, Ramiz Raja made a major announcement regarding first-class cricketers during his first press conference after assuming charge. Ramiz revealed that the PCB Board of Governors has agreed to increase the retainer for every first-class cricketer by Rs. 100,000.
Ramiz revealed that there are currently over 190 first-class cricketers in the country and their welfare is of the utmost importance to the PCB. He said that the decision to increase their retainers is made according to PCB’s roadmap for the future.
The former opener said that this move will give the players a lot of confidence and will also help in silencing the critics of Pakistan’s new domestic format. He said that the new salaries are higher than what departments were offering them prior to the structural changes in domestic cricket.
Ramiz said that he has always believed that the PCB should spend most of its money on the cricketers which will enable them to improve their skills without worrying about feeding their families.
The 59-year old further revealed that there is no chance of departmental cricket returning to the country and the current structure of domestic cricket will be in place for the foreseeable future.
Nice step by PCB, especially considering the increasing inflation