LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced its central contract list for the national team players, featuring 25 cricketers categorized into four tiers: A, B, C, and D.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have retained their positions in Category A, while Shaheen Shah Afridi has been demoted to Category B.
Naseem Shah has been promoted to Category B, joining Shan Masood, whose inclusion is subject to his captaincy. Category C includes Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Aamir Jamal, Haris Rauf, who has been downgraded from Category B, Saim Ayub, and Saud Shakeel, both promoted from Category D, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, who has also been downgraded from Category B, Sajid Khan, and Nauman Ali.
Category D comprises Amir Jamal, Muhammad Wasim Jr., Muhammad Huraira, and Mir Hamza. Seven players have been included in the central contract for the first time, including Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan.
Notably, former captain Sarfraz Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, who was part of Category B in the previous central contract, and Iftikhar Ahmed have not been included in the new contract.
Other omissions include Shahnawaz Durrani, Zaman Khan, Ehsanullah, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, and Imad Wasim. The central contract list reflects the PCB’s efforts to recognize and reward the performances of national team players.
