LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Sunday said that for the first time it has introduced retainers for its supplementary panel match officials.
As such, all 23 match officials, including 15 umpires and eight match referees, in the panel will receive a monthly retainer of PKR 25,000 during the 2022-23 season. Previously, only match officials on the international and elite panel were on retainers, but the latest decision ensures all 43 match officials on the PCB panel are now being looked after by the game’s governing body in Pakistan. The retainers of the match officials on the international and elite panels are PKR132,250 and PKR69,575, respectively.
Apart from the retainers, the PCB also provides other benefits to its match officials during the cricket season, including match fees (PKR10,000 per day), daily allowances (PKR2,500 per day), four or five-star accommodation (whatever is available) as well as air and ground travel.
As such, a match official can earn up to PKR52,000 from a four-day match, including match day minus one daily allowance, while his earning from a limited overs match will be PKR15,000, including match day minus one daily allowance.
Furthermore, the scorers are also looked after by the PCB. For a domestic match, a scorer receives a match fee of PKR7,500 (per day) and a daily allowance of PKR2,500, whereas for a practice match, a scorer receives PKR1,500 (per day) as match fee and a daily allowance of PKR2,000. For outstation domestic and age-group matches, the PCB also provides logistical support to the scorers.
PCB Manager – Umpires and Referees, Bilal Qureshi said: “The match officials are an important and integral part of our cricket structure and the PCB has always looked after them. To ensure they are valued and respected, the PCB has provided them top-quality accommodation and travel, while from this year, we have also introduced retainers for our supplementary panelists to align them with our international and elite panelists.
“It is our endeavor to attract more former cricketers to take up this noble profession and in this regard, we will continue to introduce various incentives.”
