PCB Announces Central Contracts 2025-26 – Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan Demoted, No Player in Category A

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed the central contracts for the 2025–26 international season, finalizing 30 male cricketers for the year. In a surprising move, the board has left Category A completely vacant, with even star players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan demoted to Category B.

Traditionally, Category A has been reserved for Pakistan’s biggest names, but this season the PCB has opted to exclude all players from the top slot. Last year, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were the only cricketers in Category A, but both find themselves downgraded after being sidelined from the T20 squad and experiencing a dip in form.

Compared to last year’s 27, the new central contract list includes 30 cricketers, effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. The PCB has added 12 fresh faces, a clear sign of its focus on building squad depth and investing in emerging talent.

• Category B (10 Players): Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub, Hasan Ali.
• Category C (10 Players): Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Saud Shakeel, Sajid Khan, Noman Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Haris, Hasan Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan.
• Category D (10 Players): Shan Masood, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Khurram Shahzad, Sufyan Moqim.

🚨 3️⃣0️⃣ players have been awarded central contracts for the 2025-26 international season 📝

Read more ➡️ https://t.co/g9epcZUovJ pic.twitter.com/2JGR7kId1Y

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 19, 2025

PCB announced that five players have been promoted for their performances last year, including Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Abrar Ahmed, all moving up from Category C to B.

Meanwhile, nine players retained their places in the same categories, including Shaheen Shah Afridi (B), Abdullah Shafique (C), Saud Shakeel (C), Sajid Khan (C), Noman Ali (C), Khurram Shahzad (D), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (D), Mohammad Abbas Afridi (D), and Mohammad Abbas (D).

Eight cricketers failed to make the new list: Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan.

Among the 12 new entrants are Mohammad Haris, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Hussain Talat, Salman Mirza, Ahmed Daniyal, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Abbas, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, and Sufyan Moqim.

The changes highlight the PCB’s strategic shift toward grooming emerging players while reshaping the team’s long-term structure.