The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has declared the list of 25 players for the central contract in the 2024-25 season, nearly four months after they were due. For the first time in the last eight years, the left-handed opening batter Fakhar Zaman has missed out on the back of his injury and the latest distribution of the words to the selectors on social media.
Shan Masood, the Test captain of the Pakistan side who earned their first red-ball series win for more than one year against England with a 2-1 margin, has kept his place in the ‘B’ category. However, there is no guarantee that him lasting the full period, as the media release from the board states that his retention was ‘subject to captaincy.’
There was speculation on how long he would be getting the reins of the team on the back of his six Test defeats from being charged in Perth against Australia. But, the board publicly spelling out the contract on the back of their comeback series has shown a different road ahead for the veteran.
The drop of Babar Azam from the last two five-day fixtures in the three-match series against the Ben Stokes-led side on the back of his poor performance for a long time in the format hasn’t made any difference in the contract list, as he stays in the A category, along with their wicket-keeper batter of all formats, Mohammad Rizwan.
However, the effect has been on the left-arm pacer of the Green Brigade, Shaheen Shah Afridi, who also was axed for the last two Tests of Pakistan in Multan and Rawalpindi. He has been dropped down to the second tier.
Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf dropped in the central contract of Pakistan
The spin all-rounder of the team, Shadab Khan, and the expressed pacer, Haris Rauf, are two more notable players to get lower categories from last season. In Category C, there are new increments for the Test members of the side. The opening batters Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, and Saud Shakeel.
The two biggest contributors for the 2-1 series victory of the Pakistan side, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who picked up 39 wickets in between then in the last two Tests, bowling more than 180 overs, have been the newly contracted players in the list.
Fakhar has been removed from the contract for the first time since 2016. Last month, when the chairman Mohsin Naqvi organized a connection camp to get the views of the senior players, the left-handed opening batter was the most outspoken, besides signaling criticism towards a senior member of the board.
The other opener, Imam-ul-Haq, has also missed out on the central contact, but there are just five of the 25 players being appointed in the first two categories, as the numbers have dropped down from 11 in the last season.
Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Usman Khan, and Irfan Khan all have their maiden central contracts, fining their places in group D. Last year, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) accepted the proposal of raising the payment of the players, besides sharing a portion of revenue that they earn at the ICC.
However, that plan has been tweaked in the last month, as they stand at the same spot. The contracts will cover the period starting July 1, 2024, running for another 12 months.
Central Contracts of Pakistan Players for the 2024-25 Season
Category A: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan
Category B: Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood
Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan
Category D: Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Usman Khan