LONDON: The Federation of International Cricketers’ Asso­ciations (FICA) said on Wednesday it had established a resource to help improve the professionalism of domestic competitions amid concerns about contract-related issues that left players vulnerable.

FICA said its review of the top men’s and women’s domestic leagues showed one in four players experienced the late or non-payment of salaries, while there was also opposition to unions.

The body said its Leagues Hub resource aims to better inform players, agents and players’ associations by consolidating data, including the status of each league and the reported issues within them, which could also help improve the treatment of players.

“The growth of domestic leagues around the world has been a great thing for cricket and has provided new opportunities for players,” FICA Chief Executive Tom Moffat said in a statement.

“However, inconsistencies with the treatment of players have led to the landscape being considered by many as the ‘Wild West’.

“FICA continues to advocate for fit for purpose global regulation and increased accountability in the domestic leagues landscape to protect all stakeholders, including players. This should include contract minimum standards and effective pay enforcement mechanisms, for example.”

The Leagues Hub showed late/non-payment issues had been reported by players from Indian Premier League, Pakistan Super League and Lanka Premier League teams, among others.

PCB REFUTES CLAIMS

The Pakistan Cricket Board, however, refuted FICA’s claims that the PSL was one of those franchise league’s which wasn’t paying its contracted players on promised time.

The PSL’s contract terms require that players should receive 70 percent of their fee within seven days of their arrival in Pakistan, and the remaining 30 per cent within 40 days of their final league match. The PCB’s director international cricket Usman Wahla denied that the PSL has ever paid its player’s late.

““There is no - and never has been - any delay in player payments in any of our nine [PSL] seasons… we have written to FICA to rectify this in their document,” Usman was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo on Wednesday.

It is not the first time fingers have been pointed towards the PCB over delay in payments to PSL participants. The board previously denied any such instance when Australian all-rounder James Faulkner pulled out of the final stages of the 2022 season alleging that the board had failed to honour his contract.

“In the seven years of the HBL Pakistan Super League, no player has ever complained about the nonfulfillment of the PCB’s contractual obligations,” the PCB had said at the time.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2024