Advertisement
Advertisement
LAHORE: Star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were demoted as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced central contracts for the 2025-26 international season on Monday.
A total of 30 male cricketers have been awarded central contracts that will be effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
Notably, unlike previous years, no player has been selected for Category A in this cycle. Instead, this year’s roster sees ten players each placed in Categories B, C, and D.
Compared to last year’s list of 27 contracted players, the PCB has expanded the pool to 30, including 12 fresh additions, highlighting the emergence of promising new talent and the Board’s strategic focus on squad depth and future development.
The new entrants in the central contract list are Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, and Sufyan Moqim.
According to the PCB, five players have earned promotion in the central contracts for the upcoming season owing to their performances last year.
They are Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan, all of whom have been promoted from the C to the B category.
Additionally, nine players, including Shaheen Shah Afridi in Category B, have retained their positions in the same categories.
Abdullah Shafique, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Saud Shakeel were retained in Category C, while Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr were retained in Category D.
Eight players have missed out on contracts this year. They are Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan, all of whom were in Category (D).
List of this year’s centrally contacted players:
Category B (10 players): Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Category C (10 players): Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan, and Saud Shakeel.
Category D (10 players): Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood, and Sufyan Moqim.
READ: Abdul Samad opens up after powering Pakistan Shaheens to victory
