In a major embarrassment for Pakistan cricket, the report has emerged that the women's and Men's team have not been paid their salaries for the past four months. Pakistan's women cricketers are currently in UAE to play in the Women's T20 World Cup. They began their campaign by beating Sri Lanka on Thursday.
According to the Cricbuzz report, the players, who are bound by a 23-month contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) starting August 1, 2023, haven’t been paid since June 2024. These contracts were supposed to run until June 30, 2025, with a review planned at the end of the first year, but no updates have been communicated.
A PCB representative while speaking to the cricket website said, “It is a work in progress. As soon as the lists are finalized and approved, contracts will be offered with effect from July 1, 2024.”
Under PCB policy, players do not receive daily allowances if provided with accommodation and meals during training camps. Consequently, the women cricketers missed out on allowances during their training camp in Multan, which began on September 1, before their home series against South Africa. In a notable contrast, support staff in the same camp were provided allowances. The men's team has also faced salary delays over the past four months, but the reasons for these delays differ.
Pakistan’s women cricketers rank among the lowest-paid athletes in Full Member Nations, even though the PCB is the fourth-richest cricket board globally. While players from India, England, and New Zealand enjoy equal match fees, South Africa and the West Indies have committed to achieving pay parity through a Memorandum of Understanding.
Unfortunately, unlike these countries, Pakistan lacks a players' association to advocate for their rights. Though the PCB is expected to boost its spending on women's cricket by USD 600,000 (close to ₹50 crores) this season, details regarding the new investments remain undisclosed. Despite this increase, the spending on women’s cricket continues to be significantly lower than that for men.
