KARACHI, Dec 31: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has denied reports of top players gearing up to revolt against board’s plan to reduce their salaries and perks.

A senior PCB official denied that captain Shoaib Malik is mustering up support to pre-empt board’s move to reduce salary packages to top cricketers. “We are yet to finalise on central contracts, so how can the players be revolting against it,” PCB’s Chief Operating Officer Saleem Altaf said on Wednesday.

Saleem added the board is working on the details of the contracts and will send it to the players soon. He said national coach Intikhab Alam, who is also a PCB Governing Board member, will prepare the contracts.

According to reports, senior players are reluctant to sign the reduced package. Malik, Younis Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal are said to be having second thoughts on signing the contracts. But Saleem made it clear that it is up to the players to sign or not.

Reports have suggested that the PCB has decided to drastically cut down pay and perks of its elite cricketers as it is facing a severe cash crunch in the absence of international cricket in the country.

The board has suffered huge losses with the cancellation or postponement of the home series against Australia and India and the ICC Champions Trophy.—Agencies