Cricket South Africa acting chief executive officer Jacques Faul has confirmed salaries of national and franchise players won’t be reduced, despite the premature end to the 2019-20 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The season was curtailed as a preventative measure against the spread of the virus. The Proteas’ tour of India for three ODIs, the One-Day Cup and 4-Day Domestic Series were among the cricket suspended.

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‘We are doing scenario planning at this stage, from three to six to nine months. For now we’ve budgeted for everything, so I don’t foresee the situation impacting on the current contracts. Both the Proteas and franchise players are all budgeted for,’ said Faul.

‘So, at this stage we have enough capacity to see us through the next season. Post the season, we’ll have to look at the longer-term impacts of the coronavirus.’

Australian captain Tim Paine and England captain Joe Root, meanwhile, have been among several cricket personalities to concede pay cuts are likely for the 2020-21 season.

‘But in the long term, even if we cover this season, we will have to look at what the situation is going to be after that and the financial impact it has. In our situation, I cannot see any player getting less money this season, but going forward I can see a situation where players might have to receive less,’ added Faul.

‘How much will be available to pay players next season? We need to see the total effect. And, of course, players right now miss out on appearance fees and win bonuses.’

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