PCB to provide financial aid to first-class cricketers, staff amid pandemic

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced that it will provide financial support to its first-class cricketers, match officials, scorers, ground staff and other stakeholders facing difficulty due to no cricket activity as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the PCB press release, players must meet an established criteria in order to be eligible for the funds, which is outlined as follows:

• First-class cricketers who featured in the 2018-19 season and have played at least 15 first-class matches in the past five seasons from 2014-15 to 2018-19

• Match officials and scorers who have officiated in PCB-organised events over the past two seasons

• Ground staff that had been employed by the now defunct regional/district cricket associations before 1 January 2013 (should have approximately eight years of service)

*Those falling in the aforementioned categories should presently be unemployed

The first-class cricketers, who will meet the criteria, will receive Rs25,000. The match officials will get Rs15,000, while the scorers and grounds staff will be given Rs10,000.

PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani voiced his support to his employees and assured that the board will take care of their stakeholders. Furthermore he appreciated many cricketers for playing their part in helping other during these trying times.

"It was the right time to support cricketers, match officials, scorers and grounds staff in this hour of need. It is also heartening to see our cricketers coming out and supporting the people in need by auctioning their prized possessions and through various charities," he said.

"I want to applaud and appreciate Shahid Afridi, Rumman Raees and Azhar Ali who have been at the forefront of this noble cause and have been doing outstanding work."

Earlier the board contributed more than Rs10million in the Prime Minister’s Covid-19 Pandemic Relief Fund with half of the share sourced from the centrally contracted men and women cricketers and the PCB staffers.

In March, the PCB turned Karachi’s Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre into a sanctuary for the paramedic staff, working at a makeshift hospital at Expo Centre.