PCB considering financial penalties on Pak players for T20WC debacle

Livid with the Pakistan team’s early elimination from the T20 World Cup, the country’s cricket board is contemplating financial penalties on the players for their below-par show.

A reliable source said that while reports of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) deducting remuneration of the players were incorrect, appropriate action is being considered in the wake of the team’s exit from the Super Eight stage of the event co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

“No final decision has been taken on this as yet. But yes, it is under consideration to financially penalise the players,” he confirmed to PTI without revealing the details.

He said it is being debated whether it would be the right step to hit the players financially. Pakistan failed to qualify for the semifinals and lost to big teams like arch-foes India and England, while their Super Eight game against New Zealand was washed out.

They beat Sri Lanka in their final Super Eight game but couldn’t qualify for the semi-finals.

The performance of the players, according to the source, has not only upset the PCB but also influential figures in the government.

“The feeling is that enough is enough and these players, despite so much backing, let down the nation in big events,” the source added.

The Pakistan players also returned home quietly in small groups from Sri Lanka, with captain Salman Ali Agha and star batter Babar Azam, along with some other players, landing in Lahore last night.

Players, who have central contracts, get monthly retainers plus match fees and win bonuses and shares in the Board’s team sponsorship deals.