PCB central contracts: Shaheen Shah Afridi demoted to Category B; Fakhar, Iftikhar, Mir omitted

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday demoted premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to Category B from Category A, and did not offer central contracts to senior players Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Osama Mir for the 2024-25 season.

Test skipper Shan Masood remained in Category B despite Pakistan scoring a come-from-behind 2-1 series victory over England recently.

The board awarded the central contracts to a total of 25 players just two short of the 27 who were given contracts last year.

Like last year, the PCB made the contracts announcement after a delay of nearly three months as the players performances, fitness levels and behaviour were analysed.

In that context, a PCB source informed PTI that Zaman, the only Pakistan player with a double hundred in ODIs, was excluded from the list of contract players because he failed two fitness tests.

“Fakhar has an ongoing knee problem for which he is undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA in Lahore. He failed two fitness tests recently and will now take another test at the end of November,” the source said.

He said the selectors had informed Zaman that he needed to meet fitness standards as they might include him in the national squad for the tour to South Africa in December and also for the Champions Trophy next year.

He also said Zaman’s omission has nothing to do with his tweet on Babar and the show cause notice sent to him subsequently by the PCB.

“He has responded to the show cause notice and is apologetic in his reply. He has shown remorse over his action.

“No disciplinary action has been taken against him for his tweet about Babar’s selection,” the source said.

The official disclosed that another seasoned opener, Imam-ul-Haq, has also been sidelined from the team and contracts because of fitness issues.

As part of the PCB’s strategy to incentivise, encourage and reward talented and emerging cricketers, five players have been offered central contracts for the first time.

They are: Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Usman Khan.

They have been placed in Category D.

The board has awarded A category contracts to just two players – former captain Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan, who will soon be announced as Pakistan’s white ball formats captain.

List of centrally contracted players:

Category A (2): Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan

Category B (3): Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood

Category C (9): Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan

Category D (11): Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hurraira,

Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Usman Khan.