PCB Central Contracts: Which players were promoted and which were demoted?

After months of delay, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finally announced the Central Contracts list for its players.

The board rolled out three-year contracts to the players just before the ODI World Cup in 2023 but was forced to review it after the team’s miserable run in the tournament. The central contracts for the Pakistan players have been announced just before the AUS vs PAK series.

The contracts awarded are for 12 months, effective from July 1, 2024. Former skipper Babar Azam and his potential successor Mohammad Rizwan are the only two players who have been retained in Category A.

Pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, who were dropped along with Babar for PAK vs ENG 2nd and 3rd Test, find themselves demoted to Category B. Along with these pacers, Test skipper Shan Masood has also been included in Category B.

Most of Pakistan’s veteran players have found themselves in Category C. It includes the spinner duo of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, the opener duo of Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub, Test vice-captain Saud Shakeel, and others.

Pakistan has decided to reward youngsters and specialists by providing them with central contracts and have been named in Category D.

Babar Azam has been retained in the top category despite being in miserable form across all formats over the last few years. While he stepped down as the white-ball captain after the T20 World Cup debacle, he was also dropped from the squad for the 2nd and 3rd Test against England. The former captain is expected to make his return to the side in the white-ball series against Australia. Meanwhile, the PCB is on the verge of confirming Rizwan as the new ODI and T20I skipper.