Reports | ECB expect English players to take pay-cuts to reduce financial losses
The top cricketers of England - such as Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jos Buttler - are expected to be taking pay-cuts in order to curb financial losses for the ECB. The ECB are set to incur substantial losses due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak that has brought the world of sport to a halt.
With Football leading the way - with players from several top European clubs taking pay-cuts in the midst of this crisis - Cricket is all set to follow suit as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are all set to hold talks with their star players in order to convince them to take a pay-cut to curb financial losses for the board.
The ECB are set to incur massive financial losses, especially with the County Championship and the Royal London Cup looking all the more likely to be completely scrapped for the forthcoming season. The board are, however, optimistic about the inaugural edition of āThe Hundredā happening and are set to prioritize white-ball commitments, including the Vitality Blast, should things settle down.Ā
According to a Times report, players such as Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler - the all-format stars of England - would be expected to take pay cuts of approximately 200,000 pounds (ā¬223,040) during the three-month shutdown.
"We're looking at everything about how the game can make savings," an ECB spokesman was quoted as saying by The Times.
"There's a formal process to go through with centrally contracted players but the game needs to pull together at this time. We believe the players realise the bigger picture."
Domestic competitions apart, England are scheduled to host both West Indies and Pakistan during the summer, and both the tours are now at serious risk of either getting postponed or cancelled. Earlier, the ECB also had to call back itās players from Sri Lanka and indefinitely postponed the tour in order to enable the cricketers to stay with their families during the ongoing crisis.Ā