PCB Senior Team Failure; 34% sentence in domestic players’ salary

In a baffling move, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has slashed domestic player contracts by nearly 34%, even as it approved a hefty 37% salary hike for centrally contracted international players. The PCB’s Board of Governors approved the decision as part of its new annual budget, which has been increased to PKR 1,173.49 million (around INR 35.41 crore), as reported by PTI.

Horrible failures of Pakistan’s senior team

This development comes on the heels of Pakistan’s disastrous run in global cricket. In the past 12 months alone, the men’s team failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2024 T20 World Cup, losing to the USA and Ireland (before WC), and were recently ousted before the semi-finals in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, a tournament they hosted.

Add to that a humiliating Test series loss to Bangladesh and a drawn home series against the West Indies, and one would expect accountability from the top. Instead, the PCB has bizarrely chosen to reward the very players who’ve consistently underperformed, while gutting the ecosystem that’s actually shown promise: the domestic circuit.

As per PTI, the PCB’s contract budget for domestic players has been reduced from PKR 684 million (Rs 20.52 crore) to PKR 450 million (Rs 13.5 crore). Meanwhile, the budget for international contracts has expanded, with the number of centrally contracted men’s players rising from 25 to 30.