Pakistani players punished; PCB removes all from category 'A' contract

The condition of the Pakistan cricket team is so bad that the PCB has scrapped the 'A' category from its central contracts altogether. That means not a single Pakistani player is in the top category now.

The funny part? Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan — the only two cricketers in the top category last season — have now been demoted to 'B'. Neither of them even made it into the Asia Cup squad.

And here's a classic — which country’s Test captain is placed in the 'D' category? As in, D for “Don't know why you're still playing.” But congratulations to Pakistan, because they have Shan Masood, who’s been demoted from B to D.

Clearly, the PCB has sent a direct message: if you want to be in the A category, you have to perform. Reputation alone won’t cut it. That said, looking at the current form of the Pakistan team, the top category might remain empty for a while.

There’s a bit of good news too — the number of centrally contracted players has gone up from 27 to 30. Fakhar Zaman, who lost his contract in 2024 after eight straight years due to disciplinary issues, has made a comeback and is now placed in Category B.

Which players have been rewarded?

Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Haris Rauf, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan have all earned promotions to Category B.

Meanwhile, Sufiyan Muqim, Hasan Nawaz, and Mohammad Haris — none of whom had central contracts last year — have been awarded new deals. For Muqim and Hasan, it’s their very first time on the list.

Category B: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel

Category D: Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim jr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood, Sufyan Muqim

Also Watch: Shreyas Iyer Snubbed! Why he was a must in India's Asia Cup squad