County salary cuts to continue
COUNTY cricket’s reduced pay deal has been extended to the end of July as players wait for the season to start.
The existing agreement between the Professional Cricketers’ Association and the 18 first-class counties covered April and May, with salary reductions capped at 20 per cent and prize money scrapped. That has now been extended, in line with the
ECB’s announcement that there will be no domestic competition before August 1, though players in the final year of their contracts have been granted dispensation.
PCA chairman and Worcestershire batsman Daryl Mitchell said: “There is light at the end of the tunnel for players to return at some stage this summer.
“However, with no cricket to be played in June or July, players have agreed to extend measures to protect the futures of all counties.
“This has not been an easy decision and causes a great deal of disruption but the PCA Players’ Committee agreed it is the right thing to do.”
On those who are approaching the end of their current deals, he said: “We have 134 players out of contract at the end of the summer and protecting their interests has been a consensus across the membership.”