Karachi, Oct 7: The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) has rejected
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ad hoc committee's request to
allocate individual rooms to its players on the forthcoming tour
of the Down Under.
According to informed sources, the ad hoc committee had contacted
their counterparts for providing separate rooms for the players.
Under the new agreement between the players and the PCB, the
cricketers are entitled to get separate rooms.
Sources said the ACB said since it was not the arrangement when
Australia toured Pakistan last year, the PCB's request cannot be
accommodated.
Only the Australian captain, manager, coach and the vice-captain
were provided separate rooms when the kangaroos visited Pakistan
last year.
The PCB, in turn, has requested the ACB to reserve 20 rooms (16
players and four officials) for the Pakistan team during the 33-
day tour. "In addition to the rooms to be provided by the ACB,
the PCB will bear the expenses of the other rooms," sources
added.
Sources added that the ad hoc committee also paid expenses for
eight rooms during the Toronto series after the organizers
refused to meet their demand of separate room for each player.
Meanwhile, the ad hoc committee has recently finalized the
contracts which it will be awarding to the Sharjah-bound players.
In the fresh contracts, the players will travel in club class and
their daily allowance has been increased from $50 to $75. During
the Test matches, the players will be given $50 as meal allowance
to restrict them from having dinner outside the hotel with
friends.
The ad hoc committee has also reduced eight slams to three with
an increase of 60% in the lower slab and 40% in the higher slab.
In addition to this, the players will also be paid match tour
fees in domestic matches. This allowance was entitled to the
players only on foreign tours.
The ad hoc committee has also planned lucrative cash awards for
the Australian series.
For a series win, each player will be awarded Rs500,000 while the
batsman scoring a century will earn Rs100,000 and the batsman
scoring double century will be given Rs250,000. The bowler to
take five wickets in an innings will get Rs100,000 while Rs 250,
000 will be given to the player who takes 10 or more wickets in a
match. Rs100,000 will also be given to the fielder who takes four
or more catches in a Test.
The players on Wednesday received Rs200,000 each for a 3-0
victory over the West Indies in Toronto last month.