How Much Does a County Cricketer Earn? (& Top 9 Countries)

Did you know your skills and role in a cricket ball do matter? Thanks to several enterprises, you can make cricket your all-time career and earn handsomely from it. Currently, several countries are setting the minimum wages a cricketer can earn per day. And for your information, look at this, the classier role you play the more you earn. Wondering how much a county cricketer can make?

A county cricketer earns $27,800. It is, however, the minimum starting salary per month. So as the cricketer gets more exposure in different games, he also gets entitled to more earning. The pay may rise to as much as $200,000 per month depending on the relevant cricket boards in a country. 

Are you unsure whether to venture into cricket games? Read ahead for detailed info of what you to stand to get playing at any cricket level. 

Are Cricketers Well Paid

Cricketers are well paid. Every player receives their pay based on the effort they put into the game since the advent of the short forms of cricket. As a result, the top earners take home up to $10 Million. This is a positive boost in the level of cricket games in most countries.

Since the International Cricket Council granted all its members a full membership, some countries had their first-ever T20 International Status. Additionally, many of these countries had the unique opportunity to play their very first T20I match. The United States played their first T20I match against the United Arab Emirates in 2018.

Despite the report about cricket being very rare in the US, their results from the match against the United Arab Emirates were quite encouraging. They made it to the top 4 of Division 2, from which they had a straight qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup. 

In that period, the US team was under captain Saurabh Netravalkar, who led the team in the ODI and T20i formats. As much as their cricketer match fees would not be let out to the media, the minimum annual wage rate in 2018 was $15,080. In the meantime, the Average rate was at $70,000 and the Highest salary topping $90,000.

However, in different countries, the amount varies because of varying crises in cricket boards. Such crises have led to the wage cuts that you may have witnessed a few years back in most international teams. 

Which Country Cricketers Earn The Most?

The countries whose cricketers earn the most include Pakistan, Afghanistan, England, Bangladesh, and India, among other countries. South Africa and Australia, too have increased the cricketers’ payments despite their earlier payment disputes.

Cricketers generate lump sum revenues for their respective boards. As a result, they should not only feel appreciated but also motivated for their work. These revenues contribute highly to their national revenues boosting their general economy. Therefore, they ought to have better payments than any other county or national servicemen and women. 

However, several factors can either influence or affect the pay that cricketers from around the world receive. These include:

• Team’s Hierarchy: –  Most cricket players rank according to their roles. The cricket boards within their respective governments may sometimes decide to pay each player according to their role to motivate them to aim higher. 

These should, however, not deter you from starting in the game since most cricket boards have minimal limits for all players. The limits are before the additional bonuses; therefore, you will be eligible for good pay.

These factors also account for the fact that if there are several teams in your country, the cricket board may prioritize paying the most successful teams first before the other clubs.

• The wealth of the Cricket Board: – some boards depend on their governments for funding while others have been lucky enough to get themselves sponsors who facilitate them. However, if your cricket board relies on government funding every year, it might not be enough for all cricketers. So each team needs to find ways to get sponsors or donors.
• Level of Interest: – Despite cricket games having over 2.5 billion fans worldwide, your country could not be aware of what exactly goes along with the game. So your payment could depend on the nature of interest in the countries culture.

Some countries may feel they are too low to make it to the international level. 

As a result, they may not have the right encouragement for the cricket players. Nevertheless, if you are in such a state you should not give up. You can always spike the game among the youths and gradually grow the game until your country recognizes the game as a genuine sport.

According to the above factors, you should expect the payment rates to differ from one country to another. However, in the most developed countries, all their players are entitled to similar amounts but with different tokens of appreciation for specific high-ranking roles.

In addition, with the advent of T20 matches, international countries who are also members of the ICC have to work smart to pay their cricketers well to maintain the competition much higher.

Some of the countries paying their cricketers the most are:

Afganistan

The country’s cricket has benefitted incredibly from the services of Asghar Afghan. He is also a former batsman for the country’s international team. The skipper has pushed the country from one outstanding performance to another. That led to the country winning its test match against Bangladesh with an unbeaten 90 points.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board(ACB) benefited from a whooping sponsorship with Telecom group Etisalat that boosted Afghanistan’s cricket. As a result, the board pays the team with larger shares from the sponsors. 

Bangladesh

The country’s national cricket has had its share of several knockout ties in ICC-sponsored events under the able leadership of Mashrafe Mortaza.  Mortaza has seen the Bangla Tigers through a string of bilateral winnings against known ODI champs like South Africa and India. The team has had over 78 games and is also known for being the home of other superstars like Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan. 

In fact, as a result of the increasing champs in the Bangla Tigers, the country’s cricket board had to divide the players into five different categories. The highest category was in the A+ contract, whose players’ pockets home several bonuses. Mashrafe, for example, earns a monthly salary of about $4762 without the extra pay.

Pakistan

There are times Pakistan’s national cricket team played somewhat unconvincingly, although, in their last few matches, the team has pulled off surprising efforts. They have topped on the T20is thanks to the leadership of their very instrumental leader Sarfaraz Ahmed. 

However, political tensions in the country have destabilized the Shaheens game, but the country still pays its members very well.

West Indies

The island team has successfully made their way against higher-ranked teams. However, the talented squad wasn’t that revived a few years back. But currently, West Indies has the best all-rounders in the cricket world. As a result, the Caribbean team has featured amongst the top 10 in ODI rankings and the ICC tests.

However, most cricket players from the country have been aiming for T20 league contracts because of alleged reduced salaries in their central leagues. But there is a possibility of the team regaining its high pay after a 2019 contract with the players.

South Africa

The African Nation has excellent scores in both T20 and ODI cricket games, and their batsman Faf Du Plessis leads the batsmen. The team has maintained an over 68%-win rate in most ODI matches and gained impressive high stands in ICC Tournaments.

South Africa’s cricket board, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) has had huge losses however, the players’ checks haven’t been tampered with. It also has 34 central contract players, who earn a median of about $6000 per test match and about $1900 per ODI.

New Zealand

The country has always ensured its cricketers receive lucrative salaries. It is evident in the number of contracted players increasing from 18 to 24. The players stand to get $5900 per Test match and $2500 per ODI match.

Australia

The CA(Cricket Australia) has had several ball-tampering –incidences before. But after Tim Paine took over the team, they have managed to scrunch their way through most games. However, back at the time, the players also had payment disputes with their cricket board. 

But their encouraging results led to the quick resolution of the disputes. Currently, each player gets not less than $20000 per test match and $10000 per ODI match. Their leader Tim Paine earns about $1M.

India

Indian cricket is famous for its dedication in the game and a win rate of over 78%. In addition, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is also known for its richness and the vast amounts of money it pockets its players. The team has several stars grouped into 4 different groups with higher pays for the players showing constant prowess on the pitch.

England

England cricket players are paid heftily by their very own cricket board. The players have been categorized into different classes of contracts and have over 19 of them getting central agreements.

What Is An Increment Contract In Cricket?

A cricket increment contract is a contract awarded on a points system according to the players’ appearance in different matches. 5 points based on test matches and 2 points each for ODI and T20.  So a player gets the contract once he has 20 points from the above appearances.

Cricketers smiling their way to the banks after getting central contracts have to feature consistently in most cricket test matches. However, other than the central contracts, the England cricket board which is also among the highest paying boards, features the increment contract and the pace bowling developments.

However, the awarding of these contracts somewhat gets tricky when a country has incredible players. Some cricket boards have opted to use the white and red balls criteria to award the contracts but some players remain featured in both contracts. So the general availability of players in different county matches gets controlled by their respective cricket boards.

Furthermore, pace bowling developments are awarded without assurance of future entitlements, aside from increment contracts, which give the group nation a voice on team matters. But at least the player can be sure of close monitoring on them from their governing body.

How Much Do Cricketers Get Paid For a Bat Sponsorship

For bat sponsorships, cricketers get paid up to $30Million annually. However, the rate varies. It is dependent upon several factors in the cricket matches as well as the relevant cricket boards.

However, the bat-sponsored players are entitled to upgrades in the payments according to their most recent performance. In case you are not familiar with bat sponsorship, it is finding yourself or your team a business or person who is willing to donate money for specified reasons.

So as a team captain or as a bat-sponsored player, you ought to know the motivation behind the sponsorship. Knowing what the sponsor is pleased with will help you deliver just what they want to maintain the sponsoring.

So some of the most common reasons behind cricket sponsoring are:

• Community Driven: – these are sponsors interested in the general activities going on in the community. And so cricket being part of a community’s endeavors attracts their attention. Such sponsors are donors to the community. They contribute to the upcoming or maintenance of several events. In addition, they may not give direct cash to you or your team but will donate kits and other relevant materials for the game.
• Donations: – such sponsors are rarely seen yet, they will donate money for different games or club supports with no expectations of any return deals. However, in the current generation, such sponsors are rarely found.
• Sport-based Donations: – these are donors with specific interests in cricket sports. So they will always love to support your development levels. In addition, most such cricketers are closely involved with the team’s management in one way or another.
• Commercial Donors: – You can certainly get these sponsors; however, they will always need something in return for their investments in you. Always aim at achieving such sponsors’ expectations to make sure you maintain their goals. 

How Much Do Cricket Commentators Get Paid?

Cricket commentators get paid an average of $2,500 per match day. However, their payments may vary according to their understanding of the work. They earn up to about $1 Million per year. Though the cricket boards responsible for paying them also differ.

Generally, the commentators’ salaries are dependent on several factors that include cricket playing experience, popularity, past media work, and the commentators’ understanding of the game.