Clarifications on central contracts
A number of press comments have been
made regarding the central contracts. The following are clarifications
that would help place the issue in perspective:
Players not given enough time to
study contracts.
The text of the current central contracts is based on an earlier draft
that was given to the players over a year ago. Since then the players
have been kept informed of changes proposed to the previous draft.
The text has been simplified but essentially remains the same as before.
The few changes added to the present text relate to accompanying wives,
domestic season, fitness levels, contracts related to league cricket
and sponsorship. These changes have been discussed with the players
in detail.
The issue that the players were eagerly
anticipating and had not been informed of in detail related to the
financial element of the package i.e the contract salaries and the
grading of players in categories. This decision and its rationale
was explained to the players by the Chairman PCB on 28th November,
2004 and were unanimously accepted.
It is wrong to state that Shoaib Akhtar
refused to sign the contract. He only sought time to consult his lawyers,
which was willingly accepted by PCB as the player's inherent right.
Consultation with Chief Selector.
As regards consultation with the selectors,
the Chief Selector, Wasim Bari, gave his recommendations regarding
the grading of players about 3 months ago. Since then, the PCB has
decided to give greater weightage to seniority and has graded players
according to a points system (5 for Test, 1 for ODI) which is a purely
mechanically calibrating exercise that does not require inputs from
the selectors. The only exception was in the case of Taufeeq Umar
who has been given a central contract even though he is not a member
of the team. The Chief Selector was consulted with regard to this
exception.
Conflict of Interest.
The PCB sees no conflict of interest of players either
signing contracts or with their employment with Departments or with
regional sponsors. Players would be free to negotiate separate contracts
with other employers.
Grading of Players.
It is factually incorrect to state that PCB changed
the player's grading as a result of pressure.
Abbas Haider Zaidi
Consultant Media/PR/Protocol |
