Date:07/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/07/stories/2008120760511600.htm

Sport - Cricket

Michael Clarke — a million dollar man

Melbourne: Michael Clarke has replaced his skipper Ricky Ponting as the highest paid cricketer in the Australian team according to an estimate, which puts his salary to $1.01 million.

The calculations are based on 12 months of estimated earnings from Dec. 1, 2007.

Last year, Ponting had emerged as the highest paid cricketer.

But it was only Clarke’s workload that steered him ahead of Ponting, who is closely chasing him at $992,280 for the year. Clarke featured in 36 out of 37 games Australia played.

Only Mike Hussey played all the games, and $329,970 in match fees saw his payday get past Brett Lee, a man believed to be the number two rank but not so due to less number of matches.

According to Daily Telegraph, base salaries of the top 25 contracted Australian cricketers start at $160,000 and end with Ponting at a sum believed to be $800,000.

“The base salaries drop at intervals of approximately $50,000 according to rankings, and men who play in all forms of the game occupy the top tier,” the newspaper said.

According to the report, most top Aussie batsmen pocket somewhere between $600 and $700 a run.

Because of his workload, Hussey represents best value, costing CA only $619 for every run.

The West Australian has also come ‘cheap’ at an estimated $11,010 a day for 89 days of play. Only rising quick Mitchell Johnson came cheaper at $9,577 a day.

Top-five-ranked batsman Matthew Hayden’s lack of cricket through injury this year saw him earn in the vicinity of $775 a run, and $14,129 a day.

Lee, Johnson shine

On the bowling front, Lee and Johnson earned $10,047 and $10,055 per wicket respectively for their great years of 95 and 80 wickets.

With fewer games, seamer Stuart Clark returned a wicket for every $30,857 of his estimated earnings.

Troubled all-rounder Andrew Symonds had offered to lose $250,000 of his salary due to fewer promotions this year, but he’d still likely pocket over $500,000.

Symonds’ value dipped when he missed the Indian tour but he still earns a cheap $317 a run but an expensive $24,215 a wicket. — PTI