Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has recently revealed details about the salaries of the national team players during his time in the team.
In the presence of the podcast, the veteran cricketer answered a question whether he earned more from the leagues or the national team than he did playing for Pakistan.
During the show, the host inquired about the remuneration of the national team players, prompting Razak to provide specific information. According to him, when he made his debut in 1996, ODIs were played a lot. In 1999, players were paid Rs 10,000 per match.
This amount was significantly increased to Rs 250,000 in the year 2000, he added. Comparing it to first-class cricket in India, he said that at that time Indian players were earning around Rs 100,000 or Rs 150,000 per match, while Pakistani players got only Rs 10,000 for international matches.
The 43-year-old former all-rounder recalled that in those days the team used to play an average of 30 to 35 ODIs and 9 to 10 Test matches annually, with all the earnings going to the Pakistan team. He also emphasized on the respect we get as players.
He added that before 2001, there was no centralized contracting system. However, he enjoyed playing cricket and had a good average. The former cricketer said that when he retired from international cricket in 2013, players were earning around Rs 500,000 or Rs 600,000 for ODIs, Rs 1 million for Test matches and Rs 300,000 or Rs 350,000 for T20 games. He added that since then the amount has doubled or tripled.
Razak admitted that during his playing career he had good sponsors and advertisements which brought in extra income.
The athlete is currently engaged in coaching after representing Pakistan in 32 T20Is, 265 ODIs and 46 Tests in his career. Notably, he was part of the national team that won the ICCT Twenty World Cup 2009.
