Domestic cricketers in England have waived £1m in prize money as part of a deal brokered with the 18 first-class counties and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
After a week of talks over the financial impact of Covid-19, the Professional Cricketers’ Association announced on Wednesday that an agreement to cover the months of April and May – the portion of the season already written off – has now been reached. More than half this year’s prize money has been ceded by the players, with the understanding that all contracts will adopt the latest terms and anyone released by their club at the end of the season – around 130 deals are said to be up – will get support.
The union has also established that any pay cuts during the next two months will be “consistent with reductions made to other non-playing staff at their county” and said that any requests to furlough players in the short term will be accepted.
The majority of counties are expected to make use of the government’s job retention scheme for their playing squads, with Essex, Leicestershire and Kent having now joined Yorkshire and Worcestershire as clubs to have confirmed this.
Daryl Mitchell, the Worcestershire batsman who serves as the PCA chairman, said: “The understanding from our players and the willingness to help has been particularly heartening. Like many industries, cricket recognises the challenges it currently faces; the players have been alert to the need for them to play their part.
“The coronavirus pandemic will continue to put financial pressure on the game and this initial two-month agreement will support the game for the period of April and May.”
Last week England’s centrally contracted men announced a joint £500,000 wage donation back to the ECB and selected “good causes”, while the women have taken pay cuts in line with those of their support staff.
Meanwhile, Premiership Rugby has suspended this season indefinitely but still hopes to play it to a conclusion even though there are nine rounds of the regular campaign remaining and two play-off weekends. Last month the clubs paused the season for five weeks, hoping to resume at the end of next week, but there was no chance of that happening with the government expected to extend the lockdown beyond next Monday and players needing a couple of weeks in training to regain full fitness.
Premiership Rugby’s board announced on Wednesday that the suspension would go beyond 24 April but did not set a date for when it aimed to restart the tournament, saying that first it would seek approval from the government and Public Health England.
“The intention is to play all the games and complete the season as soon as it can be done safely,” Premiership Rugby said in a statement, although that would take three months and probably mean the start of next season being put back. “We are further postponing the current season and we are exploring with the Rugby Football Union opportunities to reschedule the Premiership final later in the year with a minimum of 2,500 tickets to be donated to NHS and essential workers.”
The desire to complete the season is driven by the need to fulfil the contracts with the broadcaster BT and the title sponsor, Gallagher. All the clubs have been forced to put some staff on furlough and players at 11 of the 12 in the top flight have taken 25% pay cuts with income all but drying up. Some club would be in danger of collapsing if BT, which is freezing sports subscriptions for its viewers for two months, asked for a rebate. But restarting the season in the summer could lead to a clash with the international game if the July tours are put back and postponed Six Nations matches rearranged.
“We have agreed on our approach to restart rugby after a series of constructive meetings with our clubs, investors, players’ representatives, commercial and broadcast partners and the Rugby Football Union,” said Premiership Rugby’s chief executive, Darren Childs. “This is not an easy conversation. We are dealing with a catastrophic pandemic that is unprecedented in our lifetimes, the effects of which are heartbreaking and devastating. We also must recognise that when the pandemic is finally at an end, there will still be an economic challenge for many years to come.
“I am proud of how our clubs, staff and players have pulled together to make swift and dignified decisions to preserve the sustainability of their independent businesses in order to meet the challenges ahead. We are creatively working with the government and medical professionals to come back promptly, as soon as we know that it is safe to do so.”
Premiership Rugby is looking at a number of potential restart dates. Government advisers have warned that the restriction on social gatherings is likely to continue for at least another three months, which would mean a resumption at the end of July at the earliest, even if matches were played behind closed doors. The new campaign starts in the middle of September and finishes with the Lions touring South Africa.
