PCB announce central contracts for men’s cricketers

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced the central contract list for its men’s cricketers for the 2021-22 season.

The announcement came after the approval of the fiscal budget by the governing board.

The 12-month contract, which will run from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, has been prepared by a panel consisting of Director, International Cricket, Zakir Khan, Director, High Performance, Zakir Khan, and chief selector Muhammad Wasim, in consultation with captain Babar Azam and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq.

The new contracts has been shortened to 20 players from 21.

As per the new contract, Mohammad Rizwan and Hasan Ali have been promoted to category A while Imran Butt, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir have been offered Emerging Category Contract.

Meanwhile, there is a 25 percent increase in Category A to C retainers while Emerging Contract retainers have been increased by 15 percent.

Commenting on the developement, PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “Selecting 20 players amongst a big pool of quality cricketers is always a challenging task. I would like to thank the panel for their diligent work in selecting the 2021-22 central contract list against agreed criteria.”

“In the new list, we have seen eight new players emerge who have now gained central contracts. Due to the competitive nature of the central contract system, nine players who had contracts in 2020-21 have sadly missed out on this occasion. The door remains firmly open for these players and they will continue to remain in the plans of the selectors. Emerging Category recognizes and rewards the up and coming talent. We have seen the emergence of Haris Rauf and Mohammad Hasnain move from an Emerging Category to Category C, and the likes of Imran Butt, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Usman Qadir breaking into the Emerging Category. The Emerging Category remains a platform for young players to break into the central contract system,” he added.

Further speaking on the match fees, he said: “The equalization of match fees means that all players who walk out together to represent Pakistan will receive the same match fees irrespective of which category they are in, or whether they have a central contract or not.”

“Despite the challenging economic climate, we as the Pakistan Cricket Board believe that it is important to continue to show advancement in the value of central contracts,” he added.

News Desk

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