England players await daily allowances from BCCI

The England cricketers who are currently in India fighting it out in a 5-match Test series is yet to receive the daily allowances from BCCI since the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which includes this payment is yet to be signed by the two boards.

The Supreme Court had sanctioned Rs. 58 lakhs approximately per match for the organising of the first three Tests but it doesn’t include the daily allowances which are subject to the clauses of MOU. Though the visiting side hasn’t faced much of a problem but the recent abolishment of 500 and 1000 rupee notes by the Indian government has affected them as the legal tender (notes) with them is slowly drying up.

“Yes, England team is yet to receive any allowances from the BCCI,” an England insider said on conditions of anonymity. Each of the England squad member is supposed to be paid 50 pounds sterling per day which is Rs 4200 approximately as per current exchange rate conceded the insider.

The match officials and the Indian team members have received their allowances as per report but when asked about how are the English team members managing the current situation, the source said, “The players and support staff are mainly doing transaction through credit card and there was some limited cash (Indian currency) that was provided to them by the manager.”

While the whole country is facing several problems due to the demonetization, the English team was also having difficulties the source further admitted, “I would not say there are major financial difficulties but there is an inconvenience of the limited cash available.”

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BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke was unavailable for the moment and it was also learned that Shirke had earlier written to ECB’s manager of operations, Phil Neale speaking about BCCI’s inability to pay the English side their daily allowances.

“BCCI is at present not in a position to execute the MoU between the Indian Cricket Board and the ECB. This is due to restrictions on the execution of contracts imposed on the BCCI by a Court order,” Shirke wrote to Neale.

The Lodha Panel had earlier written to BCCI that the MoU between the two boards was not in their decree. “The proposed MoU between BCCI and ECB concerns bilateral cricketing policy, the formulation of which is not a part of the mandate of the Committee. As far as payments are concerned, if they are to be made directly by the BCCI, no directions can be given by this Committee until relevant details are furnished by the BCCI,” Lodha Panel had written in response to BCCI’s request.