Top 8 international teams and their highest paid cricketers

From Sri Lanka to Pakistan and England, here are team-wise highest paid cricketers in 2021.

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Cricket fans will be engaged in the coming times with many important fixtures lined ahead. The lovers of the gentleman’s game should get ready to witness some exciting action over the 22 yards. Cricket is one of the most celebrated sports across the globe, and the jam-packed stadiums back the fact.

In fact, in a country like India, the gentleman’s game is deemed as a religion and cricketers as heroes. With cricket having such massive popularity, it’s needless to say the players earn a good amount of money. Generally, cricket boards announce contracts annually, which determine the salaries of players in that year.

However, all players have varying contracts based on their performance, position, and other factors. Hence, all cricketers from a team receive different amounts of money. Some cricket boards offer higher pay to captains, while many bodies prefer all-format players while announcing annual contracts.

Here we look at the highest-paid cricketers of all eight teams:

8. Sri Lanka – Dhananjaya de Silva: INR 72.91 lakh

Dhananjaya de Silva vs Australia
Sri Lankan cricketer Dhananjaya de Silva plays a shot. (Photo by ISHARA S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)

Sri Lanka cricket has suffered a significant downfall in the last few years and lost one series after another. In fact, they don’t feature among the top seven teams in any format. However, one player who has been impressive for the Lankan side lately is Dhananjaya de Silva. The all-rounder shone in all three departments and put up several remarkable performances.

Thanks to his brilliant show, Sri Lanka (SLC) put him in Category A in the recently-announced annual contract. This means the all-rounder will receive a yearly amount of $100,000 for the upcoming season. Notably, Dhananjaya’s salary is even higher than Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne and white-ball skipper Kusal Perera.

Meanwhile, pay dispute has been an issue in Sri Lankan cricket lately. The board recently announced a new grading system which hasn’t gone down well with many players. Even many leading players from the country, like Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, have refused to sign the contracts.

7. Pakistan – Babar Azam: INR 62.40 lakh

Babar Azam
Babar Azam celebrates his century. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Babar Azam emerged as a world-beater in recent years with his sensational performances in all three formats. From playing quick-fire knocks in T20Is to showing resistance in red-ball cricket, Azam rose to every challenge which came his way and guided Pakistan to numerous memorable wins. As a result, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed him captain in all formats.

It also won’t be wrong to say that Azam is the most important member of the current Pakistan team. Hence, he also gets paid accordingly. As per PCB’s current contract, Azam belongs to Category A and receives an annual sum of 13.2 Million PKR, the highest for any Pakistan cricketer.

Meanwhile, Pakistan team has been on a roll lately this year and tasted success in all formats. Recently, Babar Azam’s men defeated South Africa and Zimbabwe in their own backyard. However, their prime focus will be clinching the ICC T20 World Cup later this year in India.

6. South Africa – Dean Elgar: INR 3.2 crore

Dean Elgar
Dean Elgar. (Photo Source: Twitter)

After Faf du Plessis stepped down as South African captain in 2020, Quinton de Kock was asked to fill his shoes in all formats. However, earlier this year, De Kock was sacked from the leadership role and Cricket South Africa two separate captains. While Dean Elgar became the Test skipper, Temba Bavuma took over the reins of the white-ball team.

Subsequently, the new captain also got an elevation in the annual contracts. Although both Elgar and Bavuma are centrally-contracted players, Elgar receives higher pay for leading the side in the longest format of the game. He receives $450,000 yearly from Cricket South Africa.

The left-handed opener has been a mainstay of South Africa’s Test batting line-up over the years, and his record is also impressive. However, he now has the added responsibility of leading the side, and it would be interesting to see how he delivers.

5. West Indies – Jason Holder: INR 2.08 crore

Jason Holder
Jason Holder celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Although Jason Holder is not leading West Indies in any format now, he’s still the highest-paid player in the Caribbean team. The all-rounder has been a cornerstone of the West Indies team ever since making his international debut in 2013. Hence, he’s the only Caribbean player to have an all-format contract.

As per the deal, Holder will receive a hefty sum of $300,000 this season. Notably, the all-rounder’s salary could have been even higher. However, Cricket West Indies (CWI) had to make pay cuts from players’ salaries due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Meanwhile, the ongoing year is quite significant for West Indies and Holder has a role to play. Under Kieron Pollard’s leadership, the Men in Maroon will step into the T20 World Cup as defending champions and would be determined to retain the prestigious title.

4. Australia – Aaron Finch: INR 5.46 crore

Australia captain Aaron Finch. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images for ECB)

With Australia being giants of world cricket for the last few decades, their players earn a solid sum of money. However, the highest-paid Australian cricketer at the moment is Aaron Finch. The right-handed batsman has been leading Australia’s white-ball team since 2018 and has done a commendable job so far.

Finch even led Australia to the 2019 World Cup semi-finals. Owing to this, Cricket Australia (CA) has given him a higher contract in comparison of all players. As per CA’s latest contract, the 34-year-old receives an annual sum of $750,000 from his national board.

Although Finch’s overall record has been impressive, he has endured a tough time lately. The veteran couldn’t do well in last season’s Big Bash League (BBL) and also had a couple of failures in the following T20I series against New Zealand.

3. New Zealand – Kane Williamson: INR 3.2 crore

Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson raises his bat after scoring a ton. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

Gone are those days when New Zealand were underdogs in international cricket. The Kiwi side has taken giant strides in the last few years, and no one deserves more credit than skipper Kane Williamson.

The talismanic batsman troubled the best of bowling line-ups and piled a mountain of runs. On top of that, his on-field decisions have been spot-on. He even led New Zealand to the 2019 World Cup final. Hence, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Williamson is the highest-paid player in the New Zealand team.

As per his contract, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) pays Williamson an annual sum of $440,000, including a bonus for leading the side.

2. India – Virat Kohli: 7 crore

Virat Kohli against England
Virat Kohli plays a shot. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images)

Now, this was on the cards. Arguably the best batsman to have played the game, Virat Kohli had to be the highest-paid Indian cricketer. He has been a mainstay of India’s batting line-up across formats ever since making his debut in 2008.

Moreover, Kohli also went onto prove his mettle in the leadership department and guided India to numerous wins. Hence, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has handed him Grade A+ contract for his spectacular performances.

As per the deal, the 32-year-old earns a hefty sum of INR 7 crore yearly. Notably, the talismanic cricketer also earns loads of money from the Indian Premier League, brand endorsements, advertisements, and other sources.

1. England – Joe Root: INR 8.97 crore

Joe Root
Joe Root celebrates a series win. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Many of you would have expected Virat Kohli to be the highest-paid cricketer on this list. However, his England counterpart Joe Root tops the chart. It is a well-known fact that England gives top-most priority to the longest format of the game.

Root has been a vital part of the England team across formats in the past few years, and his record speaks volumes of his prowess. On top of that, he leads the Test team. Hence, he gets the highest salary in the England team. Root receives an annual sum of £870,000 from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Notably, Morgan leads England in ODIs and T20Is, but he doesn’t receive such a hefty salary as the southpaw only has a white-ball contract. On the other hand, Root has contracts in all formats – Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

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