Pakistan Women's Cricket: Low Pay and Limited Opportunities

PCB Announces 90 Women Cricketers for Domestic Contracts

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a list of 90 women cricketers who will be awarded domestic contracts for the 2024-25 season. The list includes 10 capped Pakistani players, 62 emerging players, and 18 Under-19 players. However, the monthly retainers of PKR 35,000 (approx USD 125) are abysmally low, less than the mandated minimum pay for unskilled laborers in Pakistan.

Financial Perks for Players Remain Low

The current match fee of PKR 20,000 (approx USD 71) doesn't offer much financial perk, and players haven't been paid any daily allowances this season. The PCB claims that the announcement of 12-month retainers aims to expand the talent pool in women's cricket, but the financials suggest otherwise.

Limited Playing Opportunities

A player gets a maximum of 31 days of cricket across the three domestic tournaments organized by the PCB, assuming they feature in every playing XI and reach the final of each tournament. The maximum earning for a player is PKR 1,040,000 (approx USD 3700) this season, which is not enough to cover cricket-related expenses.

Comparison with Other Boards

Cricket Australia gets USD 37.53 million annually, while the PCB's revenue share is USD 34.51 million. Despite the minimal difference in revenue share, Cricket Australia invests more in women's cricket, offering better salaries to its domestic players. In contrast, the PCB's investment in women's cricket is minimal, with no significant change in earnings for international or domestic women cricketers.

Disparity in Investment

The PCB's spending on women's cricket has increased from PKR 70 million to PKR 240 million, but the earnings of international and domestic women cricketers remain low. In comparison, Cricket Australia earns a surplus of approx USD 11 million in 2022-23, while the PCB earns a surplus of approx USD 11 million in 2022-23.

Global Cricket Trends

The rest of global cricket is shifting towards pay parity even at the domestic level, but the PCB continues to witness a significant disparity. Unlike the financial details of the women's team, the PCB publishes the compensations for the men cricketers openly, highlighting the disparity in investment.

Social Issues for Pakistani Women

The PCB's infrastructural and financial neglect has made it difficult for Pakistani women to play cricket. Concerns range from low pay to delayed payments to lack of game time to abrupt changes in domestic structures to changes in training camps. The women's team finds themselves sitting among the lowest-ranked Full Member teams in the world, with rarely any interest from overseas T20 leagues.