PCB announces 2022-23 central contracts; Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan bag top deals

Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan got Category A contracts in both formats.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the central contracts list on Thursday, June 30, 2022. The contract will come into effect from Friday, July 1. The PCB has introduced separate red and white-ball contracts, while four more players have been added to the Emerging Category.

This means a total of 33 players, 13 more than the previous season, have received contracts for the next 12 months.

Major players like captain Babar Azam and vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan, along with Hasan Ali, Imam-Ul-Haq, and Shaheen Shah Afridi have bagged the top-tier contracts in both red and white-ball formats.

The PCB has increased the number of centrally contracted players from last year's list of 20 to 33 this year. In the exclusive white-ball contracts list, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan were placed in Category A.

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Amongst the 10 players who have received red-ball contracts, Azhar Ali has been promoted to Category A, Abdullah Shafique, and Naseem Shah have been placed in Category C for the first time along with Saud Shakeel, who has been awarded Category D.

Fawad Alam and Nauman Ali have been retained in Category B and C, respectively, whereas Abid Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shan Masood, and Yasir Shah have been handed Category D contracts.

Eleven limited-over specialists have been awarded white-ball contracts.

Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan, who were in Category B in 2021-22, have been awarded Category A contracts, while Haris Rauf has been promoted to Category B. Mohammad Nawaz has been retained in Category C.

Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir have been promoted from Emerging to Category D where they are joined by first-timers Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Zahid Mehmood.

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Chief Selector Muhammad Wasim stated in an official release, "I want to congratulate all those who have earned central contracts for the 2022-23 season, especially our four younger players who have received red-ball contracts for the first time as part of our vision and strategy to identify, groom and develop specialists for the traditional and purest format of the game."

"I understand there will be a few disappointed players who have missed out on contracts, but I want to reiterate that we are not limiting and restricting ourselves to these 33 players. As and when required, players from outside the list will be included," he added.

"We have also expanded our category of emerging cricketers from three to seven as it is very important for us to groom those cricketers who have potential to make it to the top level and give an incentive to those players who have excelled in our domestic tournaments," said Wasim.

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: Ali Usman, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, Qasim Akram, and Salman Ali Agha.

(ANI inputs)