Pakistan cricket board PCB tabled a $12,500 take it or leave it offer for the Zimbabwe National Team players for the controversial tour to the Asian country last month it has emerged.
The tour, the first by a Full Member team since March 2009, went ahead despite advice to the contrary from the Zimbabwe Government’s Sports and Recreation Committee (SRC).
It is alleged that individual payments were part of the US$500,000 the PCB is understood to have paid Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) before the tour.
The amount paid to the individual players is substantially more than nationally contracted Zimbabwean cricketers’ monthly salaries, which are US$6,500 a month at their maximum and comes with the players still waiting to be paid their World Cup fees.
The PCB initially offered Zimbabwe’s players US$10,000 each, which a significant number of players felt was too little given the safety concerns. That was the reason behind ZC issuing a press release on May 14, eight days before the first match, confirming the suspension of the tour on the instructions of the SRC. Less than half an hour later, ZC recanted and said discussions were ongoing between the PCB and ZC. Insiders have revealed this was when the PCB upped their offer to Zimbabwe’s cricketers, offering to pay those that were still wary even more money to make the trip.
An agreement was reached on US$12,500 and the money is understood to have been paid in two amounts, the first on arrival and the second at the conclusion of the series, which could explain why Zimbabwe stayed on despite a suicide attack during their second ODI.
ZC is also believed to have benefitted financially from agreeing to be the first Test-playing team to tour Pakistan since 2009.
