LAHORE - All Pakistani cricketers, who were offered central contracts with pay hikes, have conditionally signed the contracts after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) warned that if they did not sign it, they would be paid match fees of category 'C' players. The source said that the PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf asked the players to say a clear 'yes or no' on the contracts issues or they would be degraded to category C.
"Ashraf made it clear that he was willing to listen to the players views about certain clauses when he visited Galle for the first Test but said that first they must sign the contracts or they would be paid match fees as C category players," reports quoting a source said. The source confirmed that Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Gul were among the seniors who have signed the contracts conditionally. "The PCB Chairman, Zaka Ashraf spoke to them on phone and asked them why there was a delay in the signing of the contracts. He spoke to Misbah and Hafeez and both said the players had no major issues with the pay raises but with few clauses in the contracts," he said.
The board announced the new central contracts for 21 players and retainers for another 21 players on May 26, two days before the team was scheduled to leave on the tour of Sri Lanka.
Although the board gave a 25 per cent hike in the monthly retainers in the contracts of the players and another 10 per cent hike in their match fees, some senior players had avoided signing the contract as they were not happy with some of the clauses in it.
"The good thing is that the players have signed the contracts. It was made clear to them that it is not possible to give them anymore pay raises because of the board's financial condition. "But if the players have any reservations or queries about certain clauses that can be discussed with them," Ashraf said.
Sources revealed that the players have signed on the last page of the central contracts even though legal requirement was that they sign on each page of the contract. "The players have said they will put down their signatures on all pages after discussions but the fact that they have signed on the final page means the board is now in a strong position to dictate terms to them," the source explained.