England’s centrally contracted players will make an “initial donation” of £500,000 to the England and Wales Cricket Board and selected good causes amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the Professional Cricketers’ Association has announced.
In addition, centrally contracted members of the England women’s team will take a voluntary salary reduction in April, May and June.
The reduction is in line with those taken by coaches and support staff. “All the players felt like it was the right response in the current climate,” said England women’s captain Heather Knight.
“We know how the current situation is affecting the game and we want to help as much as we can. We will be discussing with the ECB further ways we can help the game in the coming weeks.”
The announcement comes after several days of discussions over how the country’s leading cricketers might respond to the pandemic. A statement from the PCA said the donation from the men’s team “is the equivalent of all of the England centrally contracted players taking a 20% reduction in their monthly retainers for the next three months”.
The details of the charitable donation are to be determined over the next week.
The 2020 cricket season has been put on hold until at least 28 May because of the coronavirus crisis.
(bbcsport)