Highest-paid Pakistan cricketers including Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi

Top players get substantial pay hike after new deal is announced

Shaheen Afridi, left, and captain Babar Azam will be the highest paid Pakistan cricketers after their board announced new central contracts. AFP

Pakistan players received welcome news right before their departure for the ODI World Cup in India as their cricket board announced a ground-breaking central contract for the next three years.

A new deal was brokered between players and management after months of negotiations, with a share of the central pool of revenue from the International Cricket Council being the main issue.

On Wednesday, the Pakistan board announced a substantial pay hike for contracted players, and also an increment in match fees.

According to the new deal, top players in 'Category A' will see a 200 per cent hike in their monthly retainer, while other contracted players will enjoy a pay rise of well over 100 per cent.

Also, player match fees have been hiked by 50 per cent for Tests, 25 per cent for ODIs and 12.5 per cent for Twenty20 Internationals.

The new contracts are seen as an effort to keep Pakistan's top players fit and available for national commitments and not be lured by other T20 leagues that run throughout the year and have become a lucrative avenue for many.

Pakistan cricketers salary

Category A

Babar Azam: 4.5 million Pakistani rupees per month ($15,500 per month)

Mohammad Rizwan: $15,500 per month

Shaheen Afridi: $15,500 per month

Category B

Shadab Khan: 3 million rupees per month ($10,000 per month)

Fakhar Zaman: $10,000 per month

Haris Rauf: $10,000 per month

Naseem Shah: $10,000 per month

Imam-ul-Haq: $10,000 per month

Mohammad Nawaz: $10,000 per month

Category C

Imad Wasim: 1.75 million rupees per month ($6,000 per month)

Abdullah Shafique: $6,000 per month

Category D

Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmad, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan – all on 500,000 rupees per month ($1,700 per month).