Daily Times

LAHORE: Australian all-rounder James Faulkner, who is part of Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL), announced on Saturday his premature withdrawal from the tournament, alleging that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has failed to honour his contractual agreement with respect to payments. “I apologise to Pakistan Cricket fans. But unfortunately, I’ve had to withdraw from the last two matches and leave the @thePSLt20 due to @TheRealPCB not honouring my contractual agreement/payments,” he said on Twitter. “I’ve been here the whole duration and they (the PCB) have continued to lie to me,” he said.

In a subsequent tweet, he added that “it hurts to leave as I wanted to help to get international cricket back in Pakistan, as there is so much young talent and the fans are amazing. But the treatment I have received has been a disgrace from the @TheRealPCB and @thePSLt20,” he said, expressing the hope that “you all understand my position”.

It is pertinent to mention that a payment was deposited in an account provided by Faulkner to the PCB which he no longer used. Faulkner went on to ask the PCB to transfer the money to another account in his name, only for the bank to decline the request for a refund of the initial money. It is believed that Faulkner’s outburst at the hotel began after he was made aware of that, leading to him damaging the hotel chandelier before reimbursing the hotel for damages. As is customary in the PSL, 70% of the money owed to Faulkner had been paid, with the remaining 30% becoming due 40 days after the tournament’s conclusion. Traditionally, the PCB has always dealt with making player payments initially before recovering the money from the franchises, which may explain why Faulkner’s primary grievance lies with the PCB rather than his franchise

The PCB released a joint statement with Gladiators, calling Faulkner’s allegations ‘baseless, misleading’ and expressing dismay at his “reprehensible behaviour”. The PCB statement said Faulkner’s agent sent UK bank account details to transfer fee payments to, before sending revised bank account details the following month, this time for a bank account in Australia. By this time, the PCB had already transferred 70% of the money owed to the players, including Faulkner. The PCB told Faulkner the payment could not be made again to a different account until the initial payment was reversed. Whether Faulkner is paid the remaining 30% is unclear yet. The PCB believe Faulkner to have breached his contract, and say it is a matter they will review.

“In the seven years of the Pakistan Super League, no player has ever complained about the nonfulfillment of the PCB’s contractual obligations,” the PCB said. “In spite of the money being transferred and received in his account, Mr Faulkner continued to insist that a second duplicate payment of the same amount be made to his account in Australia. This meant Mr Faulkner would have been paid twice. He further threatened and refused to participate in his side’s match against Multan Sultans on Friday afternoon until his money demands were met. The PCB, as a responsible organisation, engaged with Mr Faulkner early Friday afternoon in an attempt to reason with him. Despite his reprehensible and insulting behavior during the conversation, Mr Faulkner was assured that all his grievances would be addressed. He refused to reconsider his decision to take the field in a crucial match for his side, let his team down and demanded that his travel arrangements be immediately made. Prior to his departure on Saturday morning, Mr Faulkner caused deliberate damage to the hotel property and as a result had to pay damages to the hotel management. The PCB later also received reports and complaints from the immigration authorities that Mr Faulkner had acted inappropriately and abusively at the airport. It has been unanimously agreed by the PCB and the franchises that Mr James Faulkner will not be drafted in future Pakistan Super League events.” Faulkner played six PSL games this season, taking six wickets and scoring 49 runs.