LAHORE: The central contracts offered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to its cricketers have been delayed due to changes in the organisation’s hierarchy.
The initial discussion on the central contracts had taken place, between team management and selection committee, earlier this month but the matter was put on hold due to upcoming election of PCB Chairman on June 27.
According to sources, after the appointment of the new chairman, which is likely to be Zaka Ashraf, changes are expected in the PCB with regards to personnel and polices.
The structure of the central contracts could also be changed but a 25 percent increase in retainers is on the cards.
Sources added 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 in the list.
Sources also revealed that pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah could be promoted when the new centrally-contracted players’ list is announced.
The current central contracts for cricketers will expire on June 30.
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) and 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, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, Qasim Akram and Salman Ali Agha.
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.