Pak to follow Indian pay system 4 players

Karachi: Joining their Indian counterparts, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)is working on a proposal to bring performance based contracts for players.

Dr Naseem Ashraf, the Chairman of PCB told a press conference that in future the central contracts would be awarded not on seniority basis but on basis of performances.

"We are looking at several proposals. One of them is that in future the contracts would be for one year with slabs based not on seniority basis but on basis of performances in three grades-- A, B and C. Players performing well would be get automatic promotions within these grades," Ashraf said in Lahore.

Ashraf said there was a lot of pressure on the board to rethink the policy of giving monetary rewards to the players and also on their central contracts.

"We are now looking at the proposal that in future players should be rewarded immediately in money terms for good individual performances in their central contracts and if their performances lead to a team win, the rewards would be greater," he said.

Ashraf said the board had been looking at central contracts of other countries like India, Australia, South Africa and England while doing their homework on the new central contract system for Pakistani players.

The board had suspended the central contracts of its players immediately after the World Cup in which Pakistan lost to the West Indies and minnows Ireland and were eliminated from the tournament much to the disappointment of its supporters.

"The new contracts would be given after much thought and thinking. The players will definitely have to earn theirmonetary rewards now," Ashraf said.

He said the board was willing to give a big chunk of its earnings to the players provided the team kept on performing consistently well.

"The money we earn is because of the players but the sponsors only come in if the team is doing well. It is as simple as that," he said.

Pakistan introduced the central contract system for its players only in December 2005 with a monthly salary system for its players based on seniority basis with those in the highest bracket getting around 250,000 besides their match fees.

The PCB also spoke tough on the players signing individual endorsements and contracts and said in future the board would vet them carefully before giving clearances through clauses in the central contracts.

He also said that the probe committee appointed to look into the causes of defeat in the World Cup would submit its

report next week.