PCB has announced the list of central contracts for the 2019-20 season in which only three Pakistan players have made it to the top category.
The list, which has been trimmed from 33 to 19, sees Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah in Category A, stated PCB in a media release.
Veteran all-rounders Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik have not been offered contracts but they will remain available for selection.
The PCB also insisted that while finalizing the list of central contracts, which will run from August 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, players’ performances and fitness in the past 12 months and the formats they are likely to represent Pakistan in the upcoming season was taken into consideration.
“I want to congratulate all those who have been offered central contracts for the next season. We have significantly increased the financial value of the 2019-20 retainers across each category. This is over and above what had been agreed in the current agreement, which is due to run until 2021,” PCB Managing Director Wasim Khan.
“The PCB have set high standards and targets in its strategic plan for the upcoming season. We want to attach a high value to receiving a central contract. We have complete faith and confidence that these players will set-up and produce on-field performances that will help us collectively achieve our objectives and targets,” the MD mentioned.
The 19 players have been divided into three categories. According to the Samaa TV report in 2018, players in Category A will be paid more than Rs 0.8 million per month while the salaries of Category B cricketers are nearly Rs 0.5 million. Rs 0.35 will be the monthly salary of Category C players.
Here are the categories:
Category A: Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah
Category B: Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Abbas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Wahab Riaz
Category C: Abid Ali, Hasan Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood and Usman Shinwari
During the 2019-20 season, Pakistan will play six World Test Championship Tests, three ODIs and nine T20Is.
