LAHORE, May 4: A good number of cricketers representing different regions have not received their remuneration from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) under central contract scheme for the recently concluded domestic season.

Talking to Dawn on condition of anonymity, cricketers said though their respective regions had submitted their names to the PCB for the monthly remuneration on the basis of their performance some three months ago, the payments had not been released as yet.

“We are receiving negative information in this regard, that the PCB has no intention to continue its policy of offering central contract to domestic players,” said the worried cricketers.

Traditionally, 15 top cricketers — in ‘A’ and ‘B’ categories — of a region get monthly payment from the PCB on the basis of their performances in domestic cricket. While top five cricketers get Rs20,000 the remaining 10 receive Rs15,000 per month.

Around 255 cricketers belonging to 17 teams of 15 regions of the country have been getting monthly payments under this PCB scheme.

Sources said the PCB domestic cricket committee was also taking measures on reducing the budget for domestic cricket, and added that it was quite possible the committee would recommend ending the scheme of offering central contract to domestic cricketers.

“While this time the PCB will pay the amounts [to domestic players] it is possible the scheme will not be continued from the next season,” sources said.

Furthermore, sources revealed, the PCB was avoiding taking any significant decisions particularly concerning domestic cricket before the May 11 general elections because the fate of the incumbent PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf also depends on the elections result.

When PCB general manager media Nadeem Sarwar was contacted to get his view on the domestic cricketers’ concerns over non-payment, he said he had no information about it and assured he would inform this correspondence.

However, till filing of this report no confirmed reply from the said PCB official had been received.