Overview

• The PCB awarded 30 central contracts for July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, evenly split across Categories B, C and D, with no Category A for the first time since the system began.
• Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan moved to Category B after being left out of recent T20I squads, joining Salman Ali Agha, Fakhar Zaman, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
• Five players were promoted from C to B and 12 new names entered the list, while Test captain Shan Masood fell from Category B to D.
• The PCB release gave no reasons for the changes, and coach Mike Hesson said Babar’s path back depends on improving against spin and raising his T20 strike rate.
• Multiple reports say the board may remove a 3% ICC revenue-share clause and has increased the retainership pool, as Pakistan heads into a UAE tri-series from August 29 followed by the Asia Cup in Dubai.