LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after consultation with captain Babar Azam and other senior cricketers, several changes are expected in the central contract with the promotion and demotion of several players.
Cricket’s governing body has started working on new contracts for players for the 2023-24 season as the current central contracts expire on June 30.
The PCB is also discussing whether it should continue to have separate contracts based on white-ball and red-ball cricket.
Veteran batsman Azhar Ali will be left out of the list of central contracted players due to his retirement. Meanwhile, Fawad Alam, Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali, Khushdal Shah, Usman Qadir and Zahid Mehmood are also likely to lose their central contract.
However, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saeem Ayub, Ehsanullah, Osama Mir and Zaman Khan can be added to the list.
Sources also revealed that pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah could be promoted once the list of new central contracted players 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 Shafiq, Naseem Shah and Noman Ali
- Category D — Abid Ali, Sarfraz 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 – Muhammad Nawaz
- Category D — Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Wasim Jr., Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir and Zahid Mehmood.
Emerging Agreements (7):
- Ali Usman (South Punjab)
- Haseebullah (Balochistan)
- Kamran Ghulam (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
- Muhammad Haris (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
- Muhammad Hurira (North)
- Qasim Akram (Central Punjab)
- Salman Ali Agha (South Punjab)
