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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is in the process of finalizing the central contracts for players in consultation with captain Babar Azam and other senior cricketers. The current central contracts are set to expire on June 30, prompting the PCB to work on new deals for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
Several changes are anticipated in the central contracts, with promotions and demotions expected for numerous players. The PCB is also deliberating whether to continue awarding separate contracts for white-ball and red-ball cricket.
Veteran batsman Azhar Ali will be excluded from the centrally-contracted players’ list due to retirement. Additionally, Fawad Alam, Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali, Khushdil Shah, Usman Qadir, and Zahid Mehmood are likely to lose their central contracts. However, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Ihsanullah, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan could potentially be included in the list.
Sources have also revealed that pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah may be promoted when the new centrally-contracted players’ list is announced.
Here is the breakdown of the PCB men’s central contracts for the 2022-23 season:
RED AND WHITE-BALL CONTRACTS (5):
Category A: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi Category B (red-ball): Hasan Ali Category C (white-ball): Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq
RED BALL CONTRACTS (10):
Category A: Azhar Ali Category B: Fawad Alam Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali Category D: Abid Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah
WHITE-BALL CONTRACTS (11):
Category A: Fakhar Zaman, 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, 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), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab)
The PCB is working diligently to finalize the contracts, ensuring that the players are appropriately recognized and rewarded for their performances.
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