Jonny loses Test deal as players set for pay cuts
THE financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic at every level of cricket will see England’s centrally contracted players forced to accept cuts in wages over the next 12 months.
The England and Wales Cricket Board – which is estimating initial losses of £100million due to Covid-19 and is making 62 staff redundant – announced its latest round of contracts yesterday and negotiations over payments are ongoing with the Team England Player Partnership.
Of the players contracted, Jonny Bairstow lost his Test deal and joins Mark Wood on limitedovers terms. But there are breakthroughs for young batsmen Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley, who earn their first Test contracts.
Given the ECB’s financial footing, the overall value of the deals is arguably of greater interest than the identity of the recipients.
During lockdown, contracted players came up with a voluntary donation to support their sport and that looks likely to evolve into a reduction on annual packages that were understood to have been worth £650,000 for Test talent and £275,000 for white-ball specialists in 2019-20.
Director of men’s cricket Ashley Giles said: ‘Although the players have been in a (bio-secure) bubble for the majority of the summer, they are not blind to the reality of what is going on in the world. The players have done a huge amount this summer, saving a lot of money for cricket across the board and, in some aspects, keeping the lights on across the country in cricket.
‘But we are mature and realistic about what is going on and revenues are likely to be less in future and that has impact on everyone. We are going through our own redundancy process at the moment which is particularly tough for those going through it. We are the ECB as one and it is right we share the load.’
Giles has spoken personally to Bairstow, who has played 70 Tests but has appeared in just one of 12 since the 2019 Ashes. ‘He’s taken it as well as you could expect – and I mean that genuinely,’ he added, saying both the wicketkeeper and paceman Wood still have a future in Tests.
Giles is confident series against South Africa, India and Sri Lanka can all go ahead, and said: ‘If we don’t play any cricket at all in next 12 months, then the impact is huge.’