PCB announces central contracts: Babar, Rizwan retained on top-tier, Afridi demoted

Spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who bagged 39 wickets in Pakistan’s two convincing victories against England in the test series, are in category C.

FILE PHOTO: Pakistan’s players, (L-R) Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan, walk back to their fielding positions during the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2022 cricket match between India and Pakistan at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on October 23, 2022. | Photo Credit: AFP

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been demoted in the new central contracts offered to 25 players by the Pakistan Cricket Board on Sunday.

Former all-format captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were retained on the top tier contracts, while fast bowler Naseem Shah, test captain Shan Masood and Afridi are in category B.

The PCB didn’t give a reason why Afridi had been downgraded but did say Masood’s contract level was subject to whether he continues to lead the national team in red-ball cricket.

Masood lost six successive test matches since he was appointed test captain last year before Pakistan’s rally to beat England 2-1 in its home test series on Saturday.

The new contracts are from July 1, 2024 to June 30 next year.

The notable omissions from the list are batters Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq, along with all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz. The PCB didn’t say why contracts were not offered to these three players.

Spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who bagged 39 wickets in Pakistan’s two convincing victories against England in the test series, are in category C. However, the PCB said left-arm spinner Ali’s contract is subject to his fitness.

All-rounder Shadab Khan and fast bowler Haris Rauf were also downgraded apparently because of Pakistan’s below-par performances in white-ball cricket this year, which included an early exit from T20 World Cup where it lost group matches against the U.S. and India.

The PCB said as part of its “strategy to incentivize, encourage and reward talented and emerging cricketers,” five players — Khurram Shahzad, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Irfan Khan and Usman Khan — were offered central contracts for the first time.

Pakistan central contracts categories

Category A: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan.

Category B: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Shan Masood (subject to captaincy).

Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Noman Ali (subject to fitness), Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub.

Category D: Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Hurraira, Mir Hamza, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Ali, Usman Khan, Irfan Khan, Haseebullah Khan, Abbas Afridi, Kamran Ghulam.