LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided on July 15 to reduce the duration of its central contracts from three years to one, while opting against reducing players’ payments.
The decisions were made during a meeting in Lahore chaired by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
Among those present at the meeting were Pakistan’s new red-ball coach Jason Gillespie, white-ball coach Gary Kirsten, selectors Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, and other senior officials.
The board announced significant policy overhauls following the national team’s failure in the T20 World Cup, where Pakistan did not reach the Super Eight stage after defeats to India and the USA.
“The selectors have recommended no changes to the financial aspects of the central contracts, which will now be revised to 12-month contracts. Players’ fitness, behavior, and form will be assessed annually,” a board official said.
Last year, the former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf reached an agreement with the players, resulting in central contracts that guaranteed no changes in agreement clauses and financials for three years.
The official stated that the PCB has now mandated that all centrally and domestically contracted players undergo fitness tests every three months. The two head coaches will oversee these tests.
Additionally, it was decided that stringent technical guidelines would be followed when considering player applications for NOCs to play in foreign leagues. The primary objective is to ensure players’ fitness and availability for the national team.
“Only players who meet high fitness and performance criteria will receive NOCs, ensuring a high standard of representation in international leagues,” the official said.
The meeting also decided that all players must participate in domestic cricket, and selectors were instructed to monitor this before selecting any player for the national teams.
The official added that there was a unanimous decision to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on disciplinary issues, and instances of player grouping will be met with strict penalties to uphold team unity and morale.
Plans are also underway to upgrade high-performance centres nationwide to bolster grassroots cricket. New centres in Islamabad and Peshawar are set to be established, with Gillespie and Kirsten tasked with overseeing these initiatives.
Read more: Government Increases Petrol Prices by Rs9.99 per Litre for Next Fortnight
