In a significant reshuffle, Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been downgraded to Category B in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) latest central contract announcement, while prominent batter Fakhar Zaman, alongside several other players, did not make the 12-month contract list. The PCB unveiled these updates in an official release on Sunday.
Previously, Shaheen shared Category A with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan but has been moved to Category B. Babar and Rizwan now remain the only players in Category A, while ex-captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Ihsanullah, and Shahnawaz Dahani have all been left out of the central contracts.
Fakhar, previously in Category B, is also omitted in this new system. The PCB’s latest approach adopts a one-year performance-based contract structure, which began in July, along with quarterly fitness assessments and required participation in domestic cricket. The decision follows Pakistan’s early exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup, failing to reach the Super 8 stage.
The former three-year central contracts, effective from July 2023, have been replaced. Test captain Shan Masood remains in Category B, conditional upon his leadership duties.
This revision has introduced new faces, with Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan earning their first central contracts.
Among the players omitted, Fakhar, Imam, and Osama failed initial fitness tests but may be reconsidered upon re-assessment. Category A players will now receive Rs 4.5 million monthly, Category B players Rs 3 million, with Category C and D players receiving between Rs 750,000 to Rs 1.5 million.
Centrally Contracted Players List:
- Category A (2): Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan
- Category B (3): Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood
- Category C (9): Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan
- Category D (11): Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hurraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Usman Khan
