Shaheen demoted, Fakhar, others miss out on PCB central contracts

• Sources say Fakhar, Imam-ul-Haq failed initial fitness test.
• Duo will once again undergo fitness test in coming days.
• PCB links Shan Masood's central contract to his captaincy.
  

LAHORE: Pakistan's left-arm pacer and former skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi has been demoted while batter Fakhar Zaman and others have missed out on the 12-month central contracts, according to an official announcement made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday.

In its list of central contracts for 25 players, the board has placed Shaheen — who was previously in Category A along with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan — in Category B.

With Babar and Rizwan being the only players in Category A, several players are not even part of the central contracts. These players include Fakhar, former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Ihsanullah, Shahnawaz Dahani and others.

Fakhar was previously placed in Category B of the central contract by the board.

The development comes as the PCB, back in July, announced going back to its old model of granting a one-year central contract to the national side's players — conditional to their performance.

The board had also decided that players' fitness would be checked every three months and that it would be mandatory for the athletes to participate in domestic cricket.

The move came following the team's dismal performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 wherein the national side crashed out of the tournament before even entering the Super 8 stage.

The existing three-year central contracts were awarded last year and came into effect from July 1, 2023.

In the latest central contract list, Pakistan's Test skipper Shan Masood has been placed in Category B. However, his inclusion in the said category is subject to captaincy.

Meanwhile, Shaheen's demotion comes after he and Babar were "rested" for the second and third Test in the recently concluded three-match home series against England.

Both players were part of the first Test which the Green Shirts lost and were later excluded from the squad from the remaining matches.

Furthermore, several emerging cricketers have been awarded central contracts for the first time which include Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Usman Khan.

On the issue of those players excluded from the list altogether, sources say that Fakhar, Imam and Osama failed their initial fitness tests and will undergo them once again in the coming days.

The trio's inclusion, the sources added, in the central contract will be reviewed after the fitness test.

They also noted that no player has opted out of taking the central contract.

PCB's central contracts

Category A: Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan

Category B: Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood

Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan

Category D: Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hurraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Usman Khan