Pakistan groundstaff want PM to 'order' PCB to pay off their pending salaries: Report

Problems for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) don't seem to end. Firstly, the PCB was struggling to find a sponsor ahead of the England vs Pakistan 2020 series. Now, ground staff from across Pakistan have sought help and written a 'long' letter to Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan urging him to redress their grievances along with an appeal for the payment of their salaries.

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Pakistan ground staff from across the country write to Imran Khan urging him to redress their grievances

According to a report in Cricket Pakistan, as many as 250 PCB employees have written a letter to the board's 'Patron-in-Chief' Imran Khan, requesting him to resolve their salary issues. According to the letter, the PCB has employed around 250 ground staff members, who have been serving in different locations for the past 15 years. The PCB, however, has stopped paying them their salaries since December 18, 2019.

The letter further read that the PCB officials have blamed the non-payment of salaries on the postponement of the creation of the new management committee after the introduction of regional teams. This issue is being referred to as the primary reason for the delay in salaries. The ground staff members are facing significant financial problems because of this delay, which is why a letter has been drafted and sent to the Prime Minister of the country. 

The members of the ground staff requested Imran Khan to direct the PCB to pay their respective salaries along with resolving the matters that created this problem in the first place.

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Pakistan cricket sponsors: PCB signs 1-year deal with Pepsi as the principal sponsor

The PCB has announced Pepsi as the principal sponsor of the Pakistan cricket team till June 30, 2021, ahead of the England vs Pakistan 2020 series. The two parties have enjoyed a long-lasting partnership with Pepsi sponsoring the Pakistan national cricket team several times in the last two decades or so. 

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The PCB was involved in a three-year deal with a global beverage brand worth $5.5 million (₹410 million) for the logo on Pakistan’s jerseys and kits. The contract expired in June and the PCB chose to not renew it since they were offering only 30 per cent of that amount. However, they have finally cracked another deal for one year but specific details haven't been disclosed.

Pakistan will be led in the T20I format by Babar Azam on the tour of England. However, prior to that, Babar Azam's batting prowess will hold the key for Pakistan to succeed in the England vs Pakistan 2020 Test series as well.

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IMAGE COURTESY: TWITTER/ RAHEELNAMA & PCB