LONDON (UK) – England Cricket Board said on Friday that players on central contract have agreed to a 15% pay slash for a year because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The pay slash spans match fees, win bonuses and retainers and the 12-month period starts from Oct. 1. The players agreed to the cut after an agreement was reached between the ECB and the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP).
“We need to recognise that our players, led by captains Joe Root and Eoin Morgan, have conducted themselves with great maturity and responsibility throughout this challenging time,” said Ashley Giles, England men’s cricket managing director.
“We now want to build on this agreement and work together on a number of areas relating to player welfare, particularly mental health, which remains a high priority for all of us, as we continue to navigate a path through this pandemic.”
The 12 players who were given central test contracts included England batsmen Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Dom Sibley. All-rounder Tom Curran’s increment contract for white ball cricket has been upgraded.
Owing to the suspension of professional cricket in the country for several months, the ECB said it suffered losses to the tune of more than 100 million pounds ($130.80 million).
This forced the body to go for short-term cost-slashing measures, which included furloughing staff, pay cuts and a freeze on recruitments at the onset of the crisis. Last month, the board said they were mulling to make 62 positions redundant.
TEPP chairman Richard Bevan said the players had shown “great responsibility and unity with the wider game” by giving their assent to have pay cuts.
