ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has extended players' central contracts for one month due to an extension in the transition period, leaving it to the new administration to decide on the future recipients.
Barring Azhar Ali, who has retired from international cricket, all others who received contracts almost a year back will get a one-month extension, meaning that the contracts will now expire on August 1 instead of July 1.
Last year for the first time, the PCB introduced separate red and white-ball contracts, while four more players were added to the Emerging Category. This means a total of 33 players, 13 more than the previous season, received contracts for one year. Azhar Ali’s omission means that 32 crickets will now get a one-month extension.
Pakistan’s all-format cricket captain Babar Azam, along with Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, was awarded both red and white-ball contracts.
Nine players have a red-ball contract. Eleven limited-over specialists were awarded white-ball contracts last year.
Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan, who were in Category B in 2021-22, were placed in the Category A contracts, while Haris Rauf was promoted to Category B. Mohammad Nawaz was retained in Category C.
Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir were promoted from Emerging to Category D last year where they were joined by first-timers Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Zahid Mehmood.
In the Emerging Category, the PCB as part of its strategy to encourage, develop and incentivise up-and-coming domestic performers, increased the number of players from three to seven. Players in the Emerging Category are: Ali Usman, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, Qasim Akram and Salman Ali Agha.
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) and Imam-ul-Haq (red-ball Category C, white-ball Category B)
Red Ball Contracts (9):
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) and Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab)
Abdul Mohi Shah Abdul Mohi Shah is a senior reporter for The News