England’s men and women cricketers have agreed to take a pay cut to combat the coronavirus pandemic. ECB’s chief executive Tom Harrison had volunteered to take a 25 per cent pay cut. The men’s team will forgo 20 per cent of their retainers for the next three months.
Furthermore, England’s women team has also volunteered a salary deduction for the next three months, along with the coach and support staff. “The players will continue to discuss with the ECB the challenging situation faced by the game and society as a whole and will consider how best to support the ECB and both the cricketing and wider community going forward.” read a statement issued by the PCA on behalf of England’s Player Partnership group.
ECB might face a cash crunch due to lack of cricket
A season without cricketing action will cost ECB a whooping £300 million. “All the players felt like it was the right response in the current climate to take a pay cut in line with what our support staff are taking.” England women’s captain Heather Knight said.
Meanwhile, there were questions raised over the contribution made by skipper Joe Root and Ben Stokes– as they earn nearly a £1 million a year. The duo represents the Three Lions in all the three departments of the game. England’s centrally contracted players have also agreed to make an ‘initial donation’ of £500,000 as the world faces a major crisis due to COVID-19.
Many of the England cricketers were set to take home lucrative pay courtesy the Indian Premier League. However, as India faces a 21-day lockdown, the IPL has been postponed till April 15. All cricketing fixtures including England’s two-match Test series against Sri Lanka were called-off.