PCB chief reviews fee cuts for National T20 Cup: Details
What's the story
Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, has ordered a review of the decision to cut match fees of players for the impending National T20 Championship.
The decision was widely criticized in cricket circles, questioning the board's financial stability with these cuts.
The PCB's domestic department had initially imposed these cuts, which have now sparked a controversy in the cricketing community.
Budget cuts
PCB's cost-cutting measures impact domestic cricket
Reports further suggest that the PCB has also taken other cost-cutting measures impacting domestic cricket.
These include reducing hotel and travel standards, as well as terminating player contracts.
These cuts were reportedly necessary as per PCB sources, as there was an increase in domestic cricket tournaments this season, which were not accounted for in the initial budget.
Tournament suspension
National Under-19 Championship halted amid selection issues
The PCB's domestic cricket operations have come under further scrutiny after the sudden stoppage of the National Under-19 Championship.
The decision was taken by Naqvi after complaints of over-age player selections and other issues.
The National Junior Championship, a vital platform for new talent, is yet to be scheduled for this season.
Player withdrawals
Match fees reduced by 75%
The players will now earn PKR 10,000 under the new fee structure, a massive drop from last year's PKR 40,000 per match.
Meanwhile, reserve players will now earn PKR 5,000. Notably, the player match fee was PKR 60,000 for the 2022 edition.
Despite the huge fee cuts, a PCB official clarified to ESPNcricinfo that the decision wasn't due to financial constraints.
Schedule
National T20 Cup schedule
As per the schedule, the National T20 Cup will start on March 14. As many as 39 matches are scheduled across three cities - Faisalabad, Lahore, and Multan.
Faisalabad will host the final on March 27.
However, some top-tier Pakistan international cricketers might miss this tournament as the national team will be touring New Zealand for five T20Is and three ODIs during this period. Babar Azam and Naseem Shah are among the absentees.