The revised central contracts for the Pakistan men’s cricket team have been announced almost four months after they were due to expire.
Shan Masood, who this week captained Pakistan’s Test team to their first series win since July 2023, maintains his place in Category B. However, it is uncertain whether he will last all year in that position, as that a PCB press release indicates that retention in the category was “subject to captaincy.” There has been heated speculation about how long he would hold the Test reins as Pakistan lost his first six Tests in charge. But the fact that the PCB made public the detail of the contingency in its central contract a day after Pakistan’s comeback win over England is unlikely to have a stabilizing effect.
Babar Azam retains his top-flight position despite missing the last two Test matches against England after a run of poor form, while Shaheen Afridi is relegated to the second tier, leaving Mohammad Rizwan as the only other A-grade player. .
Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman is without a centre-back contract for the first time in eight years. There were reported concerns over his fitness, although his relationship with the PCB has deteriorated of late.
The board issued him a show-cause notice after a tweet he posted two weeks ago criticizing the decision to fire Babar Azam. The position remains active and Fakhar has not apologised, with the matter understood to be in the hands of his legal team. Last month, when president Mohsin Naqvi organized a “connection camp” to talk and get senior players to express their views, Fakhar was among the most outspoken, singling out one senior official for particularly scathing criticism.
His long-time ODI opening partner Imam-ul-Haq also misses out on a central contract while there has been category deflation across the board. Only five players out of 25 are in categories A or B, compared to 11 last year. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who sat out last year, have returned following their recent heroics against England, both ranked in Category C, with Noman’s inclusion subject to fitness. Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hurraira, Usman Khan and Irfan Khan received their first central contracts and all found a place in the D category.
Last year, the PCB agreed to historic three-year deals on central contracts, giving players the highest pay rises in history and, most notably, a fixed share of the revenue from the PCB’s ICC profits. The board of directors stuck to the same agreement this time, only modifying the categories in which particular players are placed, as previously agreed. The contracts will be backdated to cover the period beginning July 1, 2024 and will run for a further 12 months before a review can take place.
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
