In a shocking twist, 45 men and 5 women remained unsold in The Hundred draft, as some of the top players from both men's and women's sides didn't find any bidders.
Top women cricketers like Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Yusra Amir, Iram Javed, and Jaweria Rauf remained unsold in the midst of stiff competition.
On the men's front, names such as Imad Wasim, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, and Hasan Ali remained unsold, with pacer Naseem Shah being the biggest name in the pool.
In contrast, Afghanistan's Noor Ahmad and New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell bagged fat deals. Noor Ahmad was signed by Manchester Originals, while Michael Bracewell was signed by Southern Brave. Meanwhile, former Australian cricketer David Warner was signed by London Spirit.
In an even more troubling development, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been compelled to take austerity measures, with the result being a cut in the match fee for domestic players. The revised format reduces the match fee for players involved in the coming National T20 Championship from 100,000 rupees per game to only 10,000 rupees, with reserve players getting a meager 5,000 rupees per game. The championship is scheduled to start on March 14.
The move has been controversial among players, and there are also rumors that the PCB is planning to scale down development of domestic cricket. PCB's domestic cricket chief Abdullah Khurrum Niazi has been reportedly reducing facilities for players. "Players who were initially offered high-end hotel accommodation are now being offered cheaper options. Air travel has also been scaled back," a source disclosed.
In addition, several players and umpires are yet to receive arrears from the last season. The board has also not yet applied the annual pension increase for retired Test cricketers as provided in its policy.
The irony here is that the PCB is cutting players' match fees and trimming their benefits, while officials responsible for these cuts are still enjoying fat monthly salaries in the millions. Meanwhile, the PCB is also paying handsome monthly salaries to national selectors and mentors of the recently concluded Champions Cup.
These monetary realignments by the PCB have made people question the board's own financial health as well as the long-term viability of its moves.
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