Cricketers with England’s National Cricket Team have agreed to slash their bonuses by 15% from October 2020 to November 2021. This follows after the England & Wales Cricket Board saw losses exceeding £100 Million, with those financial burdens expected to sustain themselves throughout 2021. Cricketers have been expected to permit reductions in their salary & bonuses, guarantying to the ECB have finances needed to support tournaments in 2021. Most don’t understand how important this announcement is, with the England & Wales Cricket Board has never slashed bonuses since it was introduced in 2000.

The England National Cricket Team would obtain anywhere from £44,000.00 to £176,000.00 for winning a test series. How those bonus funds were determined was based around the opposition’s ranking in the ECB Five-Tier System. Teams in the lowest tier that are defeated would evoke the £44k bonus valuation, while oppositions beaten in the highest levels enabled bonus payouts of £176k. Cricketers have agreed that the ECB can payout half those funds for test series where the opponent is defeated. This means the lowest bonus funds now are £22k, with the highest being £88k.

ECB Women’s Division Take Bonus Cuts

The England & Wales Cricket Board didn’t request that the male division exclusively take bonus cuts. The ECB female division was also asked to make similar cuts. Whenever England’s Women’s Cricket Team won their test series, bonus prizes of £30k to £60k were awarded depending on the division ranking of their opposition. Those valuations are now slashed by 50% at £15k to £30k.

The England & Wales Cricket Board have actively avoided discussing bonus reductions with the female division. Their request to the female division came weeks after their male counterparts made a £500,000.00 donation on behalf of the ECB. Those funds could’ve been saved to sustain bonus salaries for the 2021 season. It shows the stark reality of how professional cricket is more about maintaining an image than playing the sport, an active complaint associated with middle-class supporters. It should be mentioned that depending on how long the COVID-19 Pandemic is sustained internationally; bonus salaries could continue being reduced into 2022.

The England & Wales Cricket Board made a shocking announcement that they’ve begun discussions to hold an exhibition tour in Pakistan. It’d mark the first instance of England arriving in Pakistan since 2005, citing player-wide security concerns relating to an ongoing war between Al-Qaeda & the United States in the region. The latest announcement was first reported on “ESPN Cricket Info”, with the Pakistani Cricket Board and ECB confirming that discussions have begun. It’s said that the exhibition tour would be held somewhere around January to February 2021.

Executives with the Pakistani Cricket Board made an official statement regarding a potential tour. Minimal information was provided, with more coming after discussions & security checks have been finalized. British Cricketer & now PCB Managing Director Wasim Khan was questioned on the announcement of tour discussions.

PCB Initiated Discussions

Wasim Khan detailed that relations between the ECB and PCR are good, with the two governing entities maintaining continued communication on the possibility of an exhibition tour. Khan evoked that the British High Commissioner has also entered the discussions and is doing a formidable job in locating the best solutions to permit this tour. Regional security concerns aren’t the only hurdle to overcome, with COVID-19 still factoring into this decision. That’s why Wasim Khan believes individuals from multiple parties need to lead towards the right direction for a Pakistani tour to become a reality.

Managing Director Wasim Khan clarified that he’d initiated discussions with the England & Wales Cricket Board on October 12th. Khan invited England’s National Team to an exhibition tour and received a prompt formal response. Talks began on October 14th, with the PCB & ECB having enough confidence in the possible tour that they’ve confirmed discussions. Requirements needed to permit a Pakistani tour include:

• Security Assessments.
• COVID-19 Assessments.
• PCR Testing Capabilities.
• Healthcare Sustainability.

It should be noted that under the possibility of this exhibition tour being declined, the England & Wales Cricket Board is sending their national team in 2022 to Pakistan. Within the next 24-Months, there’ll be an exhibition tour in Pakistan. It should be noted though that the ECB is actively working towards approving the January to February 2021 tour.

The BLM movement hasn’t been forgotten by Jofra Archer, a formidable athlete on England’s National Cricket Team. Archer demands that England hasn’t forgotten about the BLM Movement, with criticism growing across the United Kingdom since Michael Holding criticized England for eliminating national anthem kneeling. This is honorary now for the Black Lives Matter Movement.

England’s National Cricket Team taking the onslaught of criticism makes zero sense. Michael Holding works for SkySports, reviewing football matches live for millions worldwide. Criticism was evoked towards England from Michael Holding, who protested that when the West Indies National Team left, the kneeling stopped. The SkySports Reporter emphasized that Jofra Archer & other cricketers that didn’t kneel had hopped onto a bandwagon that’s starting to die-down.

These sentiments from Michael Holding didn’t suit Jofra Archer, prompting a response from England’s most politicized & engaging cricketer. This response was more significant than anything Archer had accomplished before, which included a formal complaint to Tom Harrison. The ECB Chief Executive Officer will now have to publicly respond towards Michael Holding, which could see the long-time reporter lose his career.

ECB Becoming More Inclusive

EuroSports questioned Jofra Archer on his thoughts behind Michael Holding’s remarks. Archer stated that Michael isn’t aware of EBC Protocol & hasn’t spoken with Tom Harrison. Jofra believes that Holding’s thinks Tom Harrison won’t dispute these comments. However, the England & Cricket Board has made extensive promises to support equality. Jofra Archer has suggested that the ECB implemented a league-wide discrimination code, which would permit teams to implement life-long bans onto racist supporters. It’s a similar suggestion that multiple athletes have made in the ECB & Premier League.

It should be mentioned that the England & Cricket Board is maintained by a Board of Directors, which are exclusively Caucasian. The ECB hasn’t employed a single executive of African descent. Jofra Archer & other cricketers with African descent have been promised that’ll change over the coming years. ECB executives have already implemented educational programs for the African-Caribbean Communities in Great Britain, Ireland, and Scotland. Michael Holding being aware of these contributions to equality, would’ve likely seen him more reserved on SkySports. How the broadcaster reacts isn’t known to date.