PCB`s contract with Mushtaq put on hold

Karachi: The disparity over fees paid to national coaches by the PCB has put on hold an impending contract between the board and former Test leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed.

"Mushtaq has been offered the position of bowling coach at the national cricket academy but he is not satisfied with the monthly salary being offered to him which is around 300,000 rupees," a well-informed PCB source told PTI. "Mushtaq who is a qualified coach from the England and Wales cricket board (ECB) and has worked with the English team as spin consultant and coach has asked the board for a better salary package which is around 500,000 rupees," the source said. He said Mushtaq`s main concern was that if the board was willing to pay foreigner Dav Whatmore around 1.6 million rupees a month to work as head coach, than it should also pay better salary to local coaches who work with the national team and at the national cricket academy. Whatmore worked for two years with the PCB and besides his monthly salary he also got other perks and benefits. "Some of the local players are not happy at this disparity as even the national team`s bowling coach, Mohammad Akram gets around 600,000 rupees per month while the salary of the chief selector is just 200,000 rupees," the source said. He said that Mushtaq had informed the board that he was offered a better package by the ECB and given his vast experience, he deserved more. Financial issues had also led to former Pakistan captain, Inzamam-u-Haq rejecting a coaching assignment from the board to work as batting consultant with the national team. "Inzamam had also made the same point about the disparity between the salary packages given to foreign and local coaches and he also wanted more authority and when the board under Zaka Ashraf didn`t agree he rejected the offer," the source said. Interestingly, the board is presently in the process of finalising new central contracts for the national team players who have also demanded a pay hike that should be comparable to central contract fees paid out to players in other countries, especially India. The PCB has indicated it would be increasing the monthly salary of centrally contracted players to around 500,000 rupees for category A players. At present this figure stands at around 350,000.