The Pakistan men’s cricket team’s revised central contracts have been announced, almost four months after they expired.
Shan Masood, who led the Pakistani Test team to their first series victory since July 2023 this week, retains his place in Category B. It is, however, uncertain whether he will remain in this position for the whole year, with a statement press release from the PCB indicating his retention in the category was “subject to the position of captain”. There was intense speculation about how long he would hold the Test reins when Pakistan lost their first six Tests at the helm. But the PCB making public the contingency in its central contract a day after Pakistan’s victory against England is unlikely to have a stabilizing effect.
Babar Azam retains his position in the highest category despite missing the last two Test matches against England after a series of poor forms, while Shaheen Afridi drops down to the second tier, leaving Mohammad Rizwan as the only other player in the category HAS.
Fakhar Zaman, meanwhile, misses out on a central contract for the first time in eight years. Concerns have reportedly been raised over his fitness, even though his relationship with the PCB has deteriorated in recent times.
The board issued him a show cause notice after a tweet he posted two weeks ago in which he criticized the decision to drop Babar Azam. The position remains vacant and Fakhar has not apologized as the matter is a matter for his legal team. Last month, when President Mohsin Naqvi organized a “connection camp” to get senior players to express their views, Fakhar was among the most outspoken, singling out a senior official for criticism particularly bitter.
His long-time ODI opening partner Imam-ul-Haq is also missing out on a central contract while there has been category deflation at all levels. Only five players out of 25 are classified in categories A or B compared to 11 last year. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who did not feature last year, made a return after their recent exploits against England, both being classified as Category C, with Noman’s inclusion subject to fitness. Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hurraira, Usman Khan and Irfan Khan all got their first central contracts, all finding a place in the D category.
Last year, the PCB reached historic three-year central contract agreements, granting players the highest salary increases in history and, most notably, a fixed share of revenue from PCB revenues at the ICC. The board stuck to the same arrangement this time, only changing the categories certain players are placed in, as previously agreed. Contracts will be backdated to cover the period commencing 1 July 2024, extending for a further 12 months before a review can be carried out.
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
