The governing body of Indian cricket, i.e., the Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI), has taken the initiative to safeguard test matches in particular and promote red-ball cricket in general by offering rewards for playing red-ball cricket in India. Unprecedentedly, Jay Shah had decreed that even the non-playing members should be rewarded equally, and thereby, the members of those teams who had played in Test matches would also benefit from the new scheme.
“The move is to encourage and secure Test cricket,” Shah was quoted by Cricbuzz immediately after a 4-1 win in Dharamsala on Saturday afternoon. The non-playing players of the team will also reap the fruits, as said the Secretary of BCCI.”
This decision was immediately acclaimed, and even Kevin Pietersen tweeted his support. “Kudos to @JayShah for continuing to serve test cricket’s cause all around! We need more leaders who are this determined to save test cricket,” wrote the ex-England skipper on his social media page.
According to Shah’s notification, any player who is a part of the playing XI in more than 50 percent of Test matches in a year will be entitled to a prize of Rs 30 lakh. The non-playing member is also given Rs 15 lakh per match. The ones who have played more than half of the tests will win the bounty of Rs 45 lakh per game. The working members will receive Rs 45 lakh, while the non-playing individuals will be awarded Rs 22.5 lakh. In this way, an additional earning of Rs.15 lakh match fee is acquired through a test.
