Members helped save close to 15 million pounds due to voluntary cuts, reveals PCA

voluntary pay cuts, a total of 3.8 million pounds have been saved, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) revealed on Wednesday (September 9). Moreover, they agreed for measures that add up to over 11 million pounds in support of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and first-class counties.

The COVID-19 pandemic struck just after the conclusion of the Women’s T20 World Cup in March. 2020 was meant to be a landmark year as far as England’s domestic cricket is concerned, given that there was a major revamp in place. The Hundred was to be played, replacing the Women’s Cricket Super League, and 40 players were to get domestic professional contracts as eight new regional centres were set to take the sport forward. However, the pandemic meant that the inaugural ‘The Hundred’ competition was pushed back to 2021, and so were the contracts.

Moreover, India and South Africa, who were to tour England for a series cancelled their visit owing to the rising cases in their respective countries. However, West Indies were given a last-minute offer and they grabbed it, much like they had done when international cricket began with men’s fixtures in July.

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“At one stage it looked very unlikely we would see any cricket this summer and we give the ECB a huge amount of credit for their work in securing the return of international cricket and the subsequent return of the domestic game,” said Rob Lynch, interim CEO of PCA.

“While international players spent months away from loved ones in a bio-secure bubble, domestic players returned to play in a higher-risk environment as players worked together to ensure as much cricket could be played to protect the broadcast deal for 2020. Throughout this process the PCA has asked for transparency from the ECB and first-class counties and will continue to ensure players are aware of the situation in front of them as we work our way through this crisis.”

The women’s domestic season, that was first pushed back to July 1 and then to August 1, finally began in late August. The national players had gotten back to training in the last week of July while the ECB announced the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, thereby standing firm on their commitment towards women’s cricket. Moreover, though the ECB couldn’t provide the 40 domestic contracts as envisaged, it released retainer contracts for 25 players to support them throughout the summer. The aim is to give the 40 contracts beginning from October 1.

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“As we enter the final stages of the most challenging summer of our careers, it is important to reflect and appreciate how the game of cricket and players in particular have worked together over the course of the last six months to protect current and future careers,” said Daryl Mitchell, Chairman of the PCA.

"With 134 men’s county players out of contract when the season was due to begin in April and the game set to welcome 40 new professionals in the women’s game, it meant a large percentage of our playing membership were fearing for their jobs. Despite all of this, players approached the challenge with understanding and the voluntary financial losses for players in 2020 reflect this.”

“International and domestic players supported the game through volunteering in the region of £3.8 million. When other losses such as the cancellation of the Hundred, delayed contracts for the new domestic women’s structure and consent to furlough are taken into account, the game has saved in the region of £15 million since April thanks to player support.”

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