England’s centrally-contracted male cricketers have made agreed to make a £500,000 donation to the ECB and selected other causes to help during the coronavirus shutdown.
The likes of Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jofra Archer are among the group pledging what is described as an “initial donation”, equivalent to 20% of all players’ retainers over the next three months.
The announcement follows a meeting today, with the players themselves set to decide on the specific other causes to benefit in the coming days.
England’s women, meanwhile, have volunteered to take a three-month salary reduction in line with their coaches and support staff.
Captain Heather Knight, who signed up to be an NHS volunteer during the pandemic, said: “All the players felt like it was the right response in the current climate to take a pay cut in line with what our support staff are taking.
"We know how the current situation is affecting the game and we want to help as much as we can. We will be discussing with the ECB further ways we can help the game in the coming weeks.”
Earlier this week, the ECB announced a £61million support package to help both the professional and recreational game survive the shutdown, which is will not end until at least May 28.
Another of England’s centrally-contracted players, Jos Buttler, is auctioning the shirt he wore in last year’s Cricket World Cup Final to raise money for NHS charities, with the bid currently in excess of £65,000.
