Monday 6 April 2020 17:09, UK
England men's centrally contracted players will make an "initial donation" of £500,000 to the ECB and selected good causes amid the coronavirus crisis, the Professional Cricketers' Association has announced.
The announcement comes after several days of discussions over how the country's leading cricketers might respond to the pandemic.
A statement from the PCA said the donation from the men's team "is the equivalent of all of the England centrally contracted players taking a 20 per cent reduction in their monthly retainers for the next three months".
England fast bowler Mark Wood told the BBC: "We were unanimous in wanting to help out and it didn't take long to come to an agreement.
"We have obligations as professional sportsmen to be role models. It's the right thing that we as cricketers help our fellow professionals.
"We discussed how we could best help the game. As the top players, how can we ensure the survival of county, grassroots and disability cricket?
"We didn't just want to give to our sector but also a charity of our choosing."
Additionally, centrally-contracted members of the women's team have announced a voluntary reduction in their salary for April, May and June in line with those taken by coaches and support staff.
England Women's captain Heather Knight 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."
