England cricketers’ win bonuses set to be slashed by half in ECB cuts

• Men’s team face sharp pay cuts in latest cost-cutting measures
• First reduction since central contracts came in 20 years ago

England men’s cricketers face the prospect of their win bonuses being slashed in half and their pay reduced by around 15% under the latest round of cost-cutting measures in the sport. After losses of £100m this year and more pain expected in 2021, the England and Wales Cricket Board is in talks over the first reduction in money paid to England’s men since central contracts were introduced 20 years ago, with win bonuses expected to take the greatest hit.

As things stand the England team earn between £44,100 and £176,400 per Test win depending on where the opposition sit in a five-tier system drawn up by the ECB. For an outright series win they receive an additional bonus that sees the figure for one win multiplied by the number of matches played. It means, for example, a 3-0 Ashes win over Australia (the sole team in tier one) would see the players split £529,200 for the three wins and then £882,000 for claiming the five-match series overall, making a total prize pot of £1,411,200.

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