Courtesy: X
As the Pakistan women’s cricket team have just kicked-off their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a win against Sri Lanka in the UAE on Thursday, October 3, they are facing a tough situation off the field. Despite having a 23-month long contract that began in August 2023, the Pakistan women's cricketers have not received salaries for the last four months from the board since June 2024.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the delay was due to ongoing issues and a lack of time. The board promised that contracts, which were due to be renewed after an assessment at the end of 12 months, will be renewed with effect from July 1, 2024, but nothing has been finalized yet. Moreover, players also didn’t receive any daily allowances during their training camp in Multan in preparation for a home series against South Africa. However, the support staff did receive their allowances.
This delay isn’t just affecting the women’s team. The men’s cricket team has also faced payment delays, though the PCB says the reasons are different.
Pay Gap is massive as far as Pakistan women’s cricket team are concerned
Pakistan’s women cricketers are among the lowest-paid in the world. However, the PCB is one of the richest cricket boards in the world. Countries like India, England, and New Zealand pay their men and women cricketers equally. South Africa and the West Indies are moving towards this as well. Unfortunately, Pakistan doesn’t have a players' union to help fight for fair pay.
The PCB has said it will increase spending on women’s cricket by $600,000, but this is still much less than what they spend on the men’s game.
But then, the PCB is facing criticism for not paying the players on time. The women’s team is frustrated, but they feel powerless to change the situation. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has said he won’t let outside pressure affect his decisions. As the Pakistan team gets ready for the World Cup opener, the financial stress could be a distraction, but they will be hoping to perform well despite the challenges.
