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Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has reportedly declined to sign his central contract, making him the only player among the 30 contracted cricketers who has yet to do so, sources revealed on Tuesday.
According to details, all other players have signed their respective contracts, but Rizwan has withheld his signature after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) allegedly turned down a few of his personal demands.
“There’s currently no indication that the PCB will revisit Rizwan’s requests,” said one source familiar with the development.
For the unversed, Rizwan was included in Category B of the new central contracts, which also features nine other players, including star batter Babar Azam.
Notably, no cricketer was placed in Category A this time around.
The development comes shortly after Rizwan’s removal as Pakistan’s ODI captain, with Shaheen Shah Afridi taking charge ahead of the upcoming home series against South Africa.
Mohammad Rizwan was appointed Pakistan’s white-ball captain in October 2024, replacing Babar Azam.
He initially impressed with a series of strong results, including ODI series victories against Australia and South Africa away from home.
However, his stint in the T20I format faltered as Pakistan lost all four matches under his leadership, prompting the PCB to strip him of that role while retaining him as ODI captain.
His ODI captaincy tenure also came under scrutiny after Pakistan failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, followed by a 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand and a 2-1 series defeat to the West Indies.
In total, Rizwan captained Pakistan in 20 ODIs, winning nine and losing 11, finishing with a 45% win ratio.
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