PCB likely to make major changes in centrally-contracted players' list

LAHORE: With only a few days left for the expiry of current central contracts, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to finalise the new contracts for players after consultation with skipper Babar Azam and other senior cricketers.

It should be noted that the current central contracts will expire on June 30, which is why the PCB has started working on new deals for the players for the 2023-24 season.

Sources told Geo News that numerous changes are expected in the central contracts with promotion and demotion for many players.

The PCB is also discussing whether it should continue to award separate contracts based on white-ball and red-ball cricket.

Due to retirement, veteran batter Azhar Ali will be excluded from the centrally-contracted players list. Meanwhile, Fawad Alam, Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali, Khushdil Shah, Usman Qadir and Zahid Mehmood are also likely to lose their central contracts.

However, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Ihsanullah, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan could be inducted into the list.

The sources also revealed that pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah could be promoted when the new centrally-contracted players’ list is announced.

PCB men's central contracts list for 2022-23

Red and white ball contracts (5):

• Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi (all Category A),
• Hasan Ali (red-ball Category B, white-ball Category C) 
• Imam-ul-Haq (red-ball Category C, white-ball Category B)

Red ball contracts (10):

• Category A — Azhar Ali
• Category B — Fawad Alam
• Category C — Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah and Nauman Ali
• Category D — Abid Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Yasir Shah

White ball contracts (11):

• Category A — Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan
• Category B — Haris Rauf
• Category C — Mohammad Nawaz
• Category D — Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir and Zahid Mehmood

Emerging contracts (7):

• Ali Usman (Southern Punjab)
• Haseebullah (Balochistan)
• Kamran Ghulam (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
• Mohammad Haris (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
• Mohammad Huraira (Northern)
• Qasim Akram (Central Punjab) 
• Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab)