Eoin Morgan believes England players are open to tackling cricket’s coronavirus crisis “in whatever way possible” but has held off from committing publicly to wage cuts until more is known about the damage to the season.
The England and Wales Cricket Board wrote to the Professional Cricketers’ Association on Sunday to suggest a temporary player salary reduction of 20% across the sport. The union, however, is first waiting on financial proposals from the 18 first-class counties this week before making any hard decisions.
Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has stated a pay cut will not be sought from England’s centrally contracted players – legally it appears this cannot be enforced – but it is clear the governing body is hoping a voluntary reduction will emerge from the dressing room.
Harrison has taken a 25% cut to his £719,000 salary, 24 hours after announcing a £61m short-term rescue package for cricket, while ECB staff are subject to two-month reductions ranging to 10 to 20% or have been furloughed under the government’s job retention scheme.
With a number of counties doing the same, England players run the risk of appearing out of touch with the general mood but Morgan insists it is simply a case of wanting to establish how much of the summer’s revenue-driving cricket will be lost.
“We are open to helping in whatever way possible,” said Morgan, England’s World Cup-winning white-ball captain, via a conference call on Wednesday. “We want to hopefully make an impact.
“I’m extremely willing to help where I know it will make a difference. No one seems to have any answers on the actual impact it will have on international cricket, English cricket, county cricket [but] I’m open to absolutely everything. I’m aware of how serious the situation is and aware how everyone will be affected from top to toe within the game and every sport.”
As things stand no county matches will be staged before 28 May and the three-Test series against West Indies that starts on 4 June looks in jeopardy. The cost of cancelling the entire season is estimated to be £300m.
The Guardian has spoken to other England players who say they too are not blind to the situation faced by the sport – or the country as a whole – and are open, in principle, to taking a cut or deferral for the greater good.
As well as wanting to know more about how this money would directly benefit others, the players are mindful of needing to establish the mechanics of any pay cut in an equitable way, given their incomes vary by format and are a combination of retainer, salary, match fees and bonuses.
There are 16 centrally contracted England players, six of whom hold deals for red- and white-ball cricket. Each earns a retainer of around £75,000 and then a salary on top depending on format. Test cricketers earn between £300k and £500k and one-day players between £200k and £300k.
A single Test appearance earns a player £14,000 and a white-ball game is worth up to £5,000. It means a Test cricketer stands to lose £84,000 in match fees – on top of any possible salary reduction – should all six matches against West Indies and Pakistan this summer be cancelled.
While central contracts are negotiated through the England Player Partnership, there is also a reluctance among the England players to make a public move until the PCA has established terms for the 450-strong county workforce.
Morgan, though coy when discussing money matters, was open to the notion of England’s Test and white-ball teams playing concurrently should this be needed to deal with a fixture pile-up at the end of a truncated season.
The 33-year-old, who became a father three weeks ago, was also happy to commit to the idea of playing international cricket behind closed doors in what Harrison labelled “bio-safe” conditions.
Asked about the loss of atmosphere with no crowd, Morgan replied: “I’ve played county cricket for a long time and Test cricket in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and that’s the exact same. But from a very serious point of view, if medical experts advised us it was OK to play behind closed doors and it was on TV, I think that would be a huge step forward for the game.”
