PCB convinces top players to sign three-year deal with enhanced retainer, match fees
Lahore (PTI): The central contracts stand-off between Pakistan Cricket Board and top national players ended on Wednesday after the parent body announced a significant enhancement in match as well as retainer fees apart from a committed percentage earned from ICC media rights revenue.
This is the first time that the PCB has agreed to give a portion of the ICC revenues to players and according to a reliable source in the board under the three-year deal the players will get from 3 to 5 percent of the ICC revenues.
The PCB is expected to get an annual sum of around USD 33-34 million from its share of revenues earned from media rights of ICC events.
The three-year deal will run from July 1 2023 to June 30, 2026 with as many as 25 cricketers able to get a pie from the ICC revenue share.
The board said the players' match fees will also see a major hike: 50% increment in Test, 25% in ODI and 12.5% in T20I.
The PCB has also given a significant increase in monthly retainers to contracted players across all its four categories with the top A category players including captain, Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi earning a 202% increase their monthly salary. This would be roughly around 4.5 million rupees with just a 10% tax deduction.
Players in the remaining three categories have also got substantial increases in their retainers with a 144% increase for B category, 135% for C and 127% enhancement for D category players.
Centrally contracted players who are playing domestic cricket will be paid half of international players' match fee. In addition, players will be allowed to play two foreign leagues in each season.
The PCB, unlike last season, also merged the red-ball and white-ball national contracts on the recommendations of the central contract committee as a way to evaluate players in terms of winning matches and aimed at promoting fairness, transparent selection process.
PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf said that the PCB had agreed to new contracts with players after lengthy negotiations.
"We believe that our players are the true assets of Pakistan cricket, and it is our utmost priority to ensure their well-being and provide them with the best possible services."
"As we move forward, the entire nation stands behind these players to do well in the upcoming ICC Men's World Cup. We have faith in their abilities, and we are confident that they will make the nation proud with their outstanding performances.
Pakistan captain, Babar Azam termed it a historic deal.
"I am extremely happy and satisfied that we have reached an agreement with the PCB. It has been a lengthy and, at times, challenging negotiation process, but I believe we have reached a fair and beneficial agreement for both parties."
List
Category A: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi
Category B: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan
Category C: Imad Wasim and Abdullah Shafique
Category D: Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmad, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan.
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Man booked for duping Thane family of Rs 1.66 crore with ‘black magic’ claims
Thane (PTI): A family from Maharashtra's Thane district was allegedly swindled of more than Rs 1.66 crore by a man who exploited their fear of "black magic" and promised them divine remedies through elaborate rituals and pilgrimages, police said on Sunday.
The Kasarvadavali police district on April 2 registered a first information report (FIR) against Manjunath Shetty, a resident of Andheri in neighbouring Mumbai, based on the family's allegations that they were manipulated into paying the accused over a period of two years to "neutralise black magic" performed by a relative, an official said.
According to the complaint, the family's ordeal began in January 2024 when they met Shetty at an event, and on learning about their financial struggles, he convinced them that their relative had performed "black magic" on them to hinder their progress.
To counter this, Shetty prescribed a series of elaborate rituals and a mandatory pilgrimage to the 12 Jyotirlingas, temples of Lord Shiva, and by exploiting a series of minor mishaps in the family, he allegedly manipulated them into making several payments, the official said.
Between February and April 2024, he took Rs 10 lakh in cash to purchase ritual materials, and from May 2024 to January 2026, the family transferred approximately Rs 1.56 crore through online transactions to various bank accounts belonging to the accused and his mother, he said.
The accused also claimed he needed money for pending court cases, warning that if he were jailed, the rituals would remain incomplete, and that the family's situation would never improve, the official said.
While no arrest has been made as yet, the police have registered a case against Shetty under section 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013, he said.
