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Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan Included In A-Category As PCB Reveals Central Contract

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan [Source: @ICC/X.com]Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan [Source: @ICC/X.com]

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finally announced the central contracts for its men's cricket team, after months of delays. These contracts, lasting 12 months, cover the 2024-25 season and are effective from July 1, 2024. This new round of contracts comes under a three-year framework that the PCB established with the players last year. 

Babar Azam and Rizwan Retain Top Positions in Category A  

Only two players, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, have secured Category A contracts, the highest rank in PCB’s system. Despite Babar’s inconsistent performance in recent years, he remains in the top category. Babar Azam, who stepped down from the T20 captaincy after the T20 World Cup 2024 debacle and missed out on some Tests against England, is expected to make a return for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia. Meanwhile, Rizwan, who is likely to become the ODI and T20I captain, has also been retained at the top level.

Pakistan’s Central Contracts List

Category
Players
ABabar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan
BNaseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood
CAbdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan
D
Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hurraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Usman Khan

Talking about Category B, it includes star pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, both of whom faced a demotion after previously holding higher positions. Test captain Shan Masood has also been assigned a Category B contract, joining the pacers in this secondary tier. This reshuffle comes as the PCB evaluates performances after Pakistan’s disappointing run in recent matches. 

Most senior players are now in Category C, including Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub, and Test vice-captain Saud Shakeel. 

In a push to develop future stars, PCB has awarded contracts to several new talents in Category D. First-timers like Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan have all received contracts.