Outcomes from 70th BoG meeting

Lahore, September 25, 2022 (PPI-OT):The 70th Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was convened here on Saturday. Details of PCB Domestic Contracts 2022-23 where announced on Saturday and are available on the corporate website, while some of the other matters discussed are below:

Pakistan Junior League

The BoG endorsed complete ownership of the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Junior League (PJL) by the Pakistan Cricket Board, providing PCB the chance to present to the world and to all its commercial partners that the event has a high value as well as long term development benefits for not just the future of cricket in Pakistan but also for young cricketers.

The BoG supported the concept of the league, which revolves around creating an environment and opportunity for future generation of cricketers, building brands and assets as part of PCB’s strategy of self-sustenance and aligning such first-of-its-kind event with the PCB Pathways Programme.

The BoG emphasised on the smooth execution of the event delivery and advised the management to proactively explore commercial opportunities and unlock property options to strengthen the PJL brand further.

The first edition of the Pakistan Junior League will be played in Lahore from 6-21 October. Over 160 foreign cricketers had expressed interest to participate in the inaugural tournament, of which 24 foreign players from nine cricket boards were joined by 66 local players in the player draft that took place on 8 September.

The six participating sides are: Bahawalpur Giants (Imran Tahir, mentor; Gordon Parsons, head coach), Gujranwala Giants (Shoaib Malik, mentor; Ijaz Ahmed, head coach), and Gwadar Sharks (Viv Richards, mentor; Mushtaq Ahmed, head coach); Hyderabad Hunters (Daren Sammy, mentor; Abdul Razzaq, head coach), Mardan Warriors (Shahid Afridi, mentor; Abdur Rehman, head coach) and Rawalpindi Raiders (Colin Munro, mentor; Roby Radford (head coach).

Other matters:

The BoG also approved:

Installation of hybrid pitches similar to ones being used at six England Test centres and the ECB’s National Performance Centre. A pitch each will be laid at the National Stadium, Gaddafi Stadium and National High Performance Centre, while the remaining 27 pitches will be laid at the other active club and first-class venues.

Each hybrid pitch has a lifespan of more than 10 years and is easy to maintain Playing Conditions, Suspected/Illegal Bowling Action and Code of Conduct for Player and Player Support Personnel for the PJL which shall be applicable to the upcoming tournament as well Amendment to Model Constitutions for CAs and CCAs by removing management rights and veto powers of the Principal Sponsors in respect of certain appointments within the CA/CCAs.

Updated CCA/CA Model Constitutions will shortly be available at the PCB website, under Documents/PCB Model Constitutions.

Regulations on the sanctioning of private cricket events in line with the ICC Regulations on the Sanctioning of Events and Player Release (approved in April 2022) which provide exclusivity and responsibility to each National Cricket Federation to retain control over cricket matches and events played within its territory.

PCB’s Regulations relating to Sanctioning of Private Cricket Tournaments will be uploaded under Documents at the PCB website. Committee compositions which will be available at PCB’s corporate website

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk

PCB introduces retainers for supplementary panel match officials 

Lahore, September 25, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Pakistan Cricket Board today confirmed it, for the first time, has introduced retainers for its Supplementary Panel match officials. As such, all 23 match officials, including 15 umpires and eight match referees, in the panel will receive a monthly retainer of PKR 25,000 during the 2022-23 season.

Previously, only match officials on the international and elite panel were on retainers, but the latest decision ensures all 43 match officials on the PCB panel are now being looked after by the game’s governing body in Pakistan. The retainers of the match officials on the international and elite panels are PKR 132,250 and PKR 69,575, respectively.

Apart from the retainers, the PCB also provides other benefits to its match officials during the cricket season, including match fees (PKR10,000 per day), daily allowances (PKR2,500 per day), four or five-star accommodation (whatever is available) as well as air and ground travel.

As such, a match official can earn up to PKR52,000 from a four-day match, including match day minus one daily allowance, while his earning from a limited overs match will be PKR15,000, including match day minus one daily allowance.

Furthermore, the scorers are also looked after by the PCB. For a domestic match, a scorer receives a match fee of PKR 7,500 (per day) and a daily allowance of PKR 2,500, whereas for a practice match, a scorer receives PKR 1,500 (per day) as match fee and a daily allowance of PKR 2,000. For outstation domestic and age-group matches, the PCB also provides logistical support to the scorers.

PCB Manager – Umpires and Referees, Bilal Qureshi: “The match officials are an important and integral part of our cricket structure and the PCB has always looked after them. To ensure they are valued and respected, the PCB has provided them top-quality accommodation and travel, while from this year, we have also introduced retainers for our supplementary panellists to align them with our international and elite panellists.

“It is our endeavour to attract more former cricketers to take up this noble profession and in this regard, we will continue to introduce various incentives.”

PCB media release on match officials’ panel for the 2022-23 season is available here. PCB media release on players’ domestic contracts for the 2022-23 season is available here. PCB media release on foreign coaches’ appointment for the 2022-23 season is available here.

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk

PCB and Faysal Bank join hands to strengthen cricket at grassroots and domestic level

Lahore, September 25, 2022 (PPI-OT):In a bid to continue to strengthen the cricketing foundations in the country, the Pakistan Cricket Board has entered into a strategic partnership with Faysal Bank.

Through this partnership, Faysal Bank will support the PCB Grassroots Cricket Development Program. This program will sponsor both domestic and foreign coaches and world class coaching clinics, which will help to identify and groom young talented cricketers across Pakistan. These coaches will also share with our young cricketers their vast playing and coaching experience and knowledge from around the cricketing world.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “I am delighted to welcome Faysal Bank on board. One of the core objective of the Pakistan Cricket Board is to strengthen the cricket base in the country by providing state-of-the-art facilities and knowledge to cricketers from a very young so they groomed into top-notch cricketers, who are ready to serve the country at the international stage.

“Through this partnership, we will develop a strong grassroots structure to help our up and coming cricketers and bring foreign coaches into our domestic cricket who will impart their vast knowledge and depth about the game.

“It is vital to have coaches – who have coached and played around the world – at domestic level as that is where a player is fine-tuned and graduates to the international level. While working on the technical side, these coaches will also develop our domestic cricketers into strong characters by working on the psychological aspects of the game, which will help us in developing cricketers who are ready to rise to the demands of international cricket.”

Faysal Bank President and chief executive Yousaf Hussain: “Diversity and inclusion is a part of our core ethos, which entails grooming young talent and engagement on a positive and sustainable basis. The intent has always been to further strengthen the infrastructure for opportunities and development of the youth across all segments of society as we have immense talent that remains untapped.”

The partnership with Faysal bank is a continuation of a number of relationships that the PCB has entered into recently, to improve the health of cricket at the grassroots and domestic level, and to identify talent at a very early age.

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk

Elite foreign coaches to work in domestic cricket 

Lahore, September 25, 2022 (PPI-OT):England former international cricketers Paul Franks and Paul Nixon appointed head coaches of Central Punjab and Sindh.

Bilal Shafayat, John Sadler, Richard Stonier and Ian Fisher will also work in the domestic cricket tournaments as fielding and strength and conditioning coaches.

“The introduction of foreign coaches in the domestic cricket is because we want diversity. These experienced foreign coaches working with the local coaches will ultimately help in the growth of the players,” says Nadeem Khan.

“I really want the players to express themselves. I want them to play with a smile on their face. I want them to enjoy the game,” says Paul Franks.

“For me seeing this side, it’s a very special team that could do special things and they can be serial winners. I really believe that they’ve got the ability to win consistently, in all formats,” says Paul Nixon.

Six foreign coaches including two former England international cricketers will work in the domestic season 2022-23 – which includes premier Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 starting later next week. The event schedule and squads will be announced in due course.

England’s former international Paul Franks who has worked as assistant head coach at Nottinghamshire County in the English circuit and possesses a coaching experience of about 10 years will coach Central Punjab.

Another former international, wicketkeeper-batter Paul Nixon who had coached Jamaican Tallawahs to two Caribbean Premier League titles will be head coach of Sindh – who recently won National T20 2022-23 – their maiden T20 title since the inception of new domestic system.

Nixon is currently working as head coach of the Leicestershire County cricket, he will be relinquishing the role in the coming days before traveling to Pakistan to take up the new assignment.

Along with these two head coaches, four foreign coaches – Bilal Shafayat (Central Punjab), John Sadler (Sindh) will be fielding coaches and Richard Stonier (Central Punjab), Ian Fisher (Sindh) will be strength and conditioning coaches.

Director High Performance, Nadeem Khan: “The introduction of foreign coaches in the domestic cricket is aimed at creating diversity. Whenever you bring coaches from different countries you introduce diversity and new ideas. These experienced foreign coaches working with the local coaches will ultimately help in the growth of the players.

“We are also bringing fielding and strength and conditioning coaches in the setup. This will benefit our local coaches and will bring more competitiveness in both departments of the game. The players will eventually benefit from them.

“These coaches will work in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and Pakistan Cup tournaments. Initially we have brought the two head coaches with Central Punjab and Sindh to see how it works in our setup and how much it proves to be beneficial for the players. We will assess the performances at the end of the season.”

Central Punjab head coach, Paul Franks:

“We have got exciting talent all around. I am looking forward to seeing everybody. I love coaching and I really enjoy coaching for the right reasons. It’s all about the players and I am really excited about the next few months here in Pakistan.

“I have been to Pakistan before; I came with England U19 in the late 1990s. Then I was a very young man making my way in the game and I loved the enthusiasm for the game. But I always said to myself that I would want to come back one day.

This opportunity as a coach doesn’t come around all the time. It was too good an opportunity to miss and I am really looking forward to working with the players. Some of whom I know very well from their associations, with the international team.

“I will make sure that the whole coaching staff, the wider group are all on the same page. I really want the players to express themselves. I want them to play with a smile on their face. I want them to enjoy the game.

“We have to believe that if we do certain things and we strive for the right achievements, particularly in the longer format, we’ll put ourselves in a position where we can create winning opportunities.”

Sindh head coach, Paul Nixon:

“Pakistan is a wonderful place to play cricket and who wouldn’t want the opportunity of coming to Pakistan. I have seen the Sindh team play so well in the T20 of late. They’ve been outstanding, their balance of experience and youth is just incredible. They’ve got some exciting, international cricketers and seriously, good, talented youth coming through as well.

“For me seeing this side, it’s a very special team that could do special things and they can be serial winners. I really believe that they’ve got the ability to win consistently, in all formats.

“Sarfaraz Ahmed as a leader brings the calmness and the experience, he is a very honest, open cricketer. Mir Hamza, who’s been over to Sussex, bowled beautifully over there in England, he is a high class player to have in our side. Saim Ayub looks a magnificent young left-hander batter, very positive attacking player, which is exactly what we need.

“Ghulam Ali has coached the side really well. I am looking forward to building a great relationship based on trust and integrity. I am also looking forward to learning from him as well.”

Six Cricket Associations coaching staff

Balochistan – Mushtaq Ahmed (head coach), Raj Hans (assistant coach), Hussain Bakhsh Khosha (fielding coach), Mazhar Deenari* (fielding coach) and Muhammad Hussain (strength and conditioning coach)

Central Punjab – Paul Franks (head coach), Abdul Razzaq (assistant coach), Humayun Farhat* (assistant coach), Bilal Shafayat (fielding coach) and Richard Stonier (strength and conditioning coach)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Abdur Rehman (head coach), Riffatullah Mohmand (assistant coach), Sajid Shah* (fielding coach), Saqib Faqir (fielding coach), Ibrar Ahmed * (strength and conditioning coach) and Imranullah (strength and conditioning coach)

Northern – Ijaz Ahmed (head coach), Samiullah Khan Niazi (assistant coach), Fahad Akram (fielding coach) and Farrukh Hayat (strength and conditioning coach)

Sindh – Paul Nixon (head coach), Ghulam Ali (assistant coach), Tahir Mehmood* (assistant coach), John Sadler (fielding coach) and Ian Fisher (strength and conditioning coach)

Southern Punjab – Shahid Anwar (head coach), Aizaz Cheema (assistant coach), Irfan Fazil (fielding coach) and Taimoor Mehmood (strength and conditioning coach)

They are temporary appointments until the coaches are busy with Pakistan Junior League

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk

BoG approves increase in retainers, match fees in 2022-23 domestic contracts 

Lahore, September 24, 2022 (PPI-OT):Players who will feature in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan Cup and National T20 can now earn between PKR 4.3million and PKR 6.1million; participants of CA competitions can make between PKR 2.9million and PKR 4.7million.

Match fee of the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Trophy increased from PKR 60,000 to PKR 100,000; match fee of the white-ball Pakistan Cup and National T20 has been enhanced from PKR 40,000 to PKR 60,000; match fee of non-playing members also improved.

“Domestic cricket is the backbone of Pakistan cricket and we will continue to invest in it to make it a stronger and more attractive brand,” says Director – High Performance, Nadeem Khan

Comparative analysis of the past three seasons’ domestic contract details and expected player earnings are below.

Urdu version of release is attached here

Karachi, 24 September 2022: In line with its strategy and vision of incentivising high-performing domestic cricketers, encouraging them to embrace the game as a full-time professional sport and adding value to the local competitions, the Pakistan Cricket Board today announced details of the 2022-23 domestic contracts, which were approved by the Board of Governor (BoG) at its 70th meeting on Saturday. The contracts will run from September 2022 to August 2023 and the list of player names will be revealed in due course.

After Mr Ramiz Raja had announced an increase of PKR 100,000 in retainers across all five categories upon being elected as the 34th PCB Chairman last September, the cricket board has again topped up the domestic retainers.

However, the biggest improvement is in the match fees, which have been increased with the objective of attracting star cricketers and inspiring them to maintain high standards so that they can continue to stay in the domestic contract categories.

Match fee of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy has been increased from PKR 60,000 to PKR 100,000, while match fee of the Pakistan Cup and the National T20 has been raised from PKR 40,000 to PKR 60,000, respectively. The non-playing members of the red and white-ball matches will now receive PKR 40,000 (up by PKR 16,000) and PKR 20,000 (up by PKR 4,000).

Likewise, match fee of the non-first-class four-day Cricket Associations Championship has been increased from PKR 25,000 to PKR 40,000, whereas the white-ball Cricket Associations Challenge and CA T20 match fee has been enhanced from PKR 15,000 to PKR 25,000. The non-playing members of the red and white-ball matches will receive PKR 15,000 and PKR 10,000, respectively.

The overall impact following these latest increases in retainers and match fees is that Category A+ and Category D players can now potentially earn between PKR 4.3million and PKR 6.1million respectively. However, to make these earnings, the players will have to maintain the expected fitness levels and perform consistently so that they can feature in all league matches of the National T20, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and Pakistan Cup.

These are projected numbers and have been calculated on the basis of 30 league matches being played across the three major PCB events and without adding the impact of any prize moneys. The total prize money of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is PKR 17million with the winner receiving PKR 10million, the champion of Pakistan Cup will earn PKR 5million from a total purse of PKR 9.3million and the winner of the National T20 will get richer by PKR 5million from a total pool of PKR 8.7million.

Similarly, players participating in the second division CA Championship (four-day non-first-class), CA Challenge (50-over) and CA T20 will have an opportunity to earn around PKR 1.14million through match fees and daily allowance payments. When the players’ monthly retainers are added to these numbers, then it again becomes a substantial figure and should motivate them further to not only do better but also aspire to play in the three major events, which will not only enhance their earnings but also bring them one step closer selections in the national side.

PCB Director – High Performance, Nadeem Khan: “Domestic cricket is the backbone of Pakistan cricket and we need to continue to invest in it to make it a stronger and more attractive brand. In this relation, I am grateful to the BoG for supporting and approving the management’s recommendations.

“Already, the standard and quality of our domestic cricket, as acknowledged by our elite cricketers, has become challenging and competitive. This is following merit-based selections, quality playing facilities, excellent logistical arrangements, high-quality broadcast and extensive digital media coverage. I am sure these new financial incentives will take our domestic cricket forward and assist the PCB in further reducing the gap with international cricket.

“The retainers and match fees have been increased to motivate and inspire cricketers to work harder round-the-year to maintain the required and expected levels of fitness and form, which forms the basis of retaining places in the contract list. Besides, the new incentives will also encourage them to give preference to our tournament over foreign leagues. Needless to remind everyone, PCB domestic events are a pathway to selection in the national side.”

2022-23 domestic contract categories (player names to be announced in due course):

A+ (15 players) – PKR 300,000 (up by PKR 50,000)

A (35 players) – PKR 200,000 (up by PKR 15,000)

B (48 players) – PKR 185,000 (up by PKR 10,000)

C (70 players) – PKR 170,000 (up by PKR 5,000)

D (24 players) – PKR 150,000 (up by PKR 10,000)

2022-23 domestic events match fee

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – PKR 100,000 (11 playing members each); PKR 24,000 (five non-playing members each)

Pakistan Cup – PKR 60,000 (11 playing members each); PKR 20,000 (five non-playing member each)

National T20 – PKR 60,000 (11 playing members each); PKR 20,000 (five non-playing member each)

CA Championship – PKR 40,000 (11 playing members each); PKR 10,000 (five no-playing members each)

CA Challenge – PKR 40,000 (11 playing members each); PKR 10,000 (five non-playing members each)

CA T20 – PKR 40,000 (11 playing members each); PKR 10,000 (five non-playing members each)

Projected earnings (after 30 Quaid Trophy, Pakistan Cup and National T20 league matches and without taking into account additional knockout matches and prize moneys):

Category – Retainer – Match fee – Daily allowance – Total

A+ – PKR 3,600,000 – PKR 2,200,000 – PKR 300,000 – PKR 6,100,000

A – PKR 2,400,000 – PKR 2,200,000 – PKR 300,000 – PKR 4,900,000

B – PKR 2,220,000 – PKR 2,200,000 – PKR 300,000 – PKR 4,720,000

C – PKR 2,040,000 – PKR 2,200,000 – PKR 300,000 – PKR 4,540,000

D – PKR 1,800,000 – PKR 2,200,000 – PKR 300,000 – PKR 4,300,000

Projected earnings (after 30 CA Championship, CA Challenge and CA T20 matches):

Category – Retainer – Match fee – Daily allowance – Total

A – +PKR 3,600,000 – PKR 900,000 – PKR 240,000 – PKR 4,740,000

A – PKR 2,400,000 – PKR 900,000 – PKR 240,000 – PKR 3,540,000

B – PKR 2,220,000PKR 900,000 – PKR 240,000 – PKR 3,360,000

C – PKR 2,040,000PKR 900,000 – PKR 240,000 – PKR 3,180,000

D – PKR 1,800,000PKR 900,000 – PKR 240,000 – PKR 2,940,000

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk

Pakistan Junior League players update

Lahore, September 24, 2022 (PPI-OT):Afghanistan leg-spinner Ibrahim Masood will replace Lahiru Dawatage in the Hyderabad Hunters, Pakistan Junior League squad. Dawatage who was picked by the Hunters in the Premier Category during the PJL player draft is unavailable for the inaugural edition of the tournament that begins at the Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore on Thursday 6 October.

Bahawalpur Royals’ spinner Rehan Ahmed has withdrawn from the tournament due to his potential commitments with England Lions. The Royals have replaced Rehan with South Africa seamer Johan Mahne who plays for North West. Mahne has been inducted in the X-Factor Category. Left-hand batter Shamyl Hussain will captain Gwadar Sharks instead of Mohammad Ismail, Ismail will be Shamyl’s deputy.

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk