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New Delhi, India
Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy recently opened up on pay disparity between cricket boards around the world and said love for the game doesn't buy groceries. Sammy, who led West Indies to two T20 World Cup titles in 2012 and 2016, said there is a huge gap when it comes to the salaries of cricketers in different countries around the world.
Sammy said that gone are the days when players used to play for the love of the game before highlighting the staggering gap in payscales of the West Indies compared to their Indian counterparts. While top Indian stars earn a whopping Rs 7 crore (USD 8,45,828 approx) a year, West Indies cricketers make USD 150,000 (Rs 1.2 crore roughly) annually through central contracts.
"Gone are those days when you played for love. Love doesn't buy you groceries from supermarket," said Sammy.
âIndia is strong because they can tell their players that you don't play anywhere else. You have to understand that they have the money to back it up.
"An India A list contracted player could probably make a million dollar a year (Rs 7 crore plus match fees plus TV rights money) compared to a Windies A-lister, who would earn USD 150,000 (Rs 1.2 crore roughly)," he added.
Sammy feels the pay disparity among the cricket boards makes it difficult for the smaller ones to hold on to their players and stop them from plying their trade in different T20 leagues around the globe.
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"That's a massive difference and obviously the question of pay (disparity) will always come up. It's very difficult for smaller boards (in terms of financial might) to keep their players together when they are handsomely paid elsewhere," said Sammy.
West Indies had a disastrous campaign in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 this year as they failed to make it past the qualifiers for the first time in their history. The two-time champions were knocked out from the qualifying stage after suffering shock defeats against Scotland and Ireland.