The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the much-awaited central contarcts for the men’s team, promoting fast bowler Hassan Ali and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan to category A following their stellar performances in the recent series.
The PCB released the details of the contracts after the Governing Board’s approval of the 2021-22 fiscal year’s budget. The 12-month contracts will run from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
“It is an enhanced and performance-based central contract list 2021-22 for 20 elite male cricketers, including three emerging cricketers, in which match fee across all formats has been equalized," the statement said.
The list was finalised by the panel that comprised Director – International Cricket, Zakir Khan, chief selector Muhammad Wasim and Director – High Performance, Nadeem Khan, who also consulted Head Coach Misbah-ul-Haq and captain Babar Azam as part of the process.
The provisional list was then shared with PCB Chief Executive Officer Wasim Khan, before it was approved by PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani.
In the central contract list 2021-22, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Rizwan have been offered Category A. Hasan Ali had missed out on the contract last year due to an injury but following his stellar performance in the 2020-21 as well as looking ahead to the 2021-22 season, he has been placed in Category A.
Rizwan has been rewarded for his consistent performance across all formats by moving him from Category B to Category A.
Likewise, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Nawaz and Nauman Ali have also been offered central contracts in recognition of their contributions and performances in the 2020-21 season.
Haris Rauf and Mohammad Hasnain, who were in the Emerging Category last year, have been promoted to Category C, while youngsters Imran Butt, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir have been placed in Emerging Category.
Players missing out on the central contracts include Asad Shafiq, Haider Ali, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Shan Masood and Usman Shinwari.
However, they remain firmly in the selectors’ plan for the season ahead and have the opportunity to earn contracts for the 2022-23 season, subject to performances during the 2021-22 season.
