Penalties for counties who don’t pay fair

COUNTIES who do not pay players the minimum wage or spend at least £1.5million on salaries will face severe sanctions from next season under the new County Partnership Agreement (CPA). The punishments under consideration for failure to comply with the CPA include a ban on signing overseas players, points deductions and having central funding withheld, as the ECB are determined to ensure county players receive a portion of the record £1.1billion broadcast deal that begins next summer. Following a year of negotiations between the ECB, the counties and the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), the CPA is ready to be signed. The agreement will bring significant financial benefits for most county players, as it includes the introduction of a £27,500 minimum wage for senior players and a doubling of the so-called ‘salary collar’, stating that each county must spend at least £1.5m on player salaries. Counties who fail to comply will be punished. The PCA will have access to all player contracts for the first time. Any breaches of the conditions will be reported to a CPA working party, who will determine the punishment. The CPA was provisionally agreed last November, but signing the agreement has been delayed due to disagreements between counties and the players, mainly over the terms of the contracts for the new Hundred tournament. One issue that remains to be resolved is the introduction of ‘rookie contracts’. One-third of the 18 first-class counties remain reluctant to extend the minimum wage to their young players, which under the CPA would offer age-linked payments to players under 21, replacing the current trialist status and pay-as-you-play deals with full-time contracts. As Sportsmail revealed, the PCA are insisting that even players on part-time contracts must receive a minimum wage agreed with the counties.