CALCUTTA, India, 17 August 2004 — The Indian cricket board will introduce central player contracts after nearly three years of protracted discussions.

“The contract has been approved by both parties,” Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told reporters after a meeting of its decision-making working committee. “The contract will be signed when all parties needed are available.” The players will be graded in three categories assuring them annual salaries of five million rupees ($108,000), 3.5 million rupees ($75,500) and 2.0 million rupees ($43,000).

A senior BCCI official said they would also continue to receive around 250,000 rupees ($5,400) for each Test and 215,000 rupees ($4,650) for each One-Day International.

The contracts could not be agreed earlier because of objections by the top players to some of the BCCI terms.

According to the contract, non-playing members of the squad will receive 50 percent of the match fee. The players were reported to have demanded 70 percent.

Indian Spin Quartet Win Nayudu Award

India’s famous spin quartet, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Erapalli Prasanna, have won the country’s annual C.K. Nayudu cricket award.

Left-armer Bedi, leg-spinner Chandrasekhar and off-spinners Venkataraghavan and Prasanna were regarded as India’s most potent bowling force, often operating together on slow, turning wickets at home in the 1960s and 70s.

India’s cricket board announced yesterday that the award, named after India’s first Test captain and made for lifetime achievement in cricket, would be given to all four bowlers to celebrate its 75th anniversary this year. The award carries a trophy and 200,000 rupees ($4,300) for each of the winners.

Chandrasekhar took 242 wickets in 58 Tests, Bedi grabbed 266 in 67 matches, Prasanna 189 in 49 and Venkataraghavan claimed 156 scalps in 57 games.

Wright Stays as India Cricket Coach as Contract Renewed

Indian coach John Wright’s contract has been renewed for another year ahead of a busy international schedule, the cricket board announced here yesterday. Wright, a former New Zealand captain who took over as India coach in 2000, will continue till the end of 2004-05 season, Indian board president Jagmohan Dalmiya said. “Wright’s contract has been extended up to the end of 2004-05 season with the provision to renew it thereafter,” he said.