Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi relegated to category B as Pakistan Men’s Central Contracts announced for 2025-26 season

[BouncerGuy]

Absolutely and also Shadab has no plans to play test cricket. His focus is only on T20s and leagues. He should be in maximum D category. Unfortunately PCB is wasting money on many players in Category B & C who are not going to add any value to Pakistan cricket

I think Sajid and noman + saud should have been there..

 

[Rana]

I think Sajid and noman + saud should have been there..

The PCB need to make a model where it’s the T20 revenue generated that pays the big contracts in Test. And established Test cricketers are definitely Cat A.

I don’t understand this horse…where you get a category according to how many formats you feature in.

How is it that a guy who plays T20 and is incapable of playing Test is awarded the same contract as a guy who is only capable of playing Test cricket? Both feature in one format. Both are cat C. That’s ridiculous.

 

[Rana]

If the budget is to pay £100 per player (an example),

The established Test player should get £60

The ODI player should get £30

The T20 player should get £10


You want £60 payday? Prove you are good enough to play the toughest format!

 

[BouncerGuy]

The PCB need to make a model where it’s the T20 revenue generated that pays the big contracts in Test. And established Test cricketers are definitely Cat A.

I don’t understand this horse…where you get a category according to how many formats you feature in.

How is it that a guy who plays T20 and is incapable of playing Test is awarded the same contract as a guy who is only capable of playing Test cricket? Both feature in one format. Both are cat C. That’s ridiculous.

Yep.. There should be some sort of model to deal with such things...

 

[mominsaigol]

You had no issue when Rizwan was made category A whilst not even being fit to play one format lol

Let me find the threads from 2022-23 where this guy was given the Cat A. Let’s see how much crying you have done in those threads!

Why would he have any issues? Just look at his old classic PFP? Probably changed it due to Rizzu losing relevance now.

Caved is a bit too close minded in his approach towards cricket I'm afraid

 

[zaidihusain]

I think Sajid and noman + saud should have been there..

Agree, I believe anyone who is committed to test cricket must be in B or minimum C.

Anyone who is committed to only T20 & ODIs must be in C & D.

All format players with exceptional performance should be in A

 

[Savak]

Lol at Dr Nauman Niaz and Rashid Latif parroting the same narrative and conspiracy that Babar, Rizwan are paying the price for saying no to accepting sponsorship from the betting, surrogate advertising companies in the PSL

 

[Rana]

Lol at Dr Nauman Niaz and Rashid Latif parroting the same narrative and conspiracy that Babar, Rizwan are paying the price for saying no to accepting sponsorship from the betting, surrogate advertising companies in the PSL

They pull this narrative out when the main one fails.

The main one is “Pakistan need Babar and Rizwan at all costs because the guys replacing them are useless”

 

[zahid01]

I think rightfully your captain should be in category A but here we have situation the captain is in category D what does this tell you why is a captain regarded as a category D player he's is your leader how can he lead players who are considered better than him.

 

[Markhor]

People are wasting too much time and energy trying to apply logic to an illogical situation.

When have these central contracts ever made sense or followed any clear rationale ?

Everyone can see PCB are making it up as they go along. Look at the Champions Cup and mentors - introduced with much fanfare but scrapped after one season.

 

[Savak]

People are wasting too much time and energy trying to apply logic to an illogical situation.

When have these central contracts ever made sense or followed any clear rationale ?

Everyone can see PCB are making it up as they go along. Look at the Champions Cup and mentors - introduced with much fanfare but scrapped after one season.

The Champions Cup was scrapped because Naqvi has badly mis managed the PCB's finances and any reporter who pinpoints this out is targeted by the PCB and PDM.

 

[Usman Chadda]

People are wasting too much time and energy trying to apply logic to an illogical situation.

When have these central contracts ever made sense or followed any clear rationale ?

Everyone can see PCB are making it up as they go along. Look at the Champions Cup and mentors - introduced with much fanfare but scrapped after one season.

There is clear intent here to teach a few players a lesson. Only two cricketers have been slapped with an actual demotion here, and both have been unceremoniously dropped from the team by the PCB.

 

[Rana]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1958237479057969339

Report suggesting some of these players who add unhappy with the contract may not sign it.

Interesting times ahead

 

[Snowflake]

Fakhar’s removal was completely justified as he let his account get utilized by Saya mafia. You are under contract and cannot run your mouth on social media. Had Fakhar not been such a vital player he prolly would have been punished much worse.

Similar case with Jamal, even tho i am against his removal from the list of contracted players but invoking politics in cricket is a big no no. But i guess hes being punished too harshly and thats where PCB has gone OTT in his case.

Nope. It wasn’t justified. You don’t drop players from central contract, keep them out of the team for years, damage team results just because of a tweet.

 

[Obaidd]

Shadab, Faheem, Hassan Ali, Haris Rauf are not Saya players?

 

[Snowflake]

The only person making dumb statements is you, because you want to pass something as a “fact” even though it is just an assumption. It is just a theory.

Note that I am not saying that this wasn’t the reason why he was axed. I am saying that there is no evidence to support this assertion.

It may or may not be true, but you have brainwashed yourself into believing that this is the only reason why he was axed which is hilarious.

You are also failing to consider that Mike Hesson has coached Faheem in the PSL before, so perhaps he likes him as a player and wants to give him preference over another all-rounder?

Numbers? What numbers?

Amir Jamal averages 93 with the ball in T20Is. In the PSL this year, Faheem was far better than him.

But no, this can’t be it. The fact that he is worse than Faheem (who is a bad player anyway) in T20 cricket must not have anything to do with his non-selection.

It must be because he supports PTI because you and a couple of others have cooked up this theory.

With all due and undue respect, I don’t your intelligence highly enough to believe in your theories when there is no shred of evidence to support it. You can believe what you want to, but don’t sell it to me unless you come up with actual evidence.

Looks like I hit a nerve, but who cares. You are one of the dumbest posters on PP, so you’d be the last person I’d seek intelligence ratings from. Also, I haven’t tried to sell you anything but only pointed out what’s obvious to see for everyone; except you. So, stick you sense of self-importance where the sun doesn’t shine.

you can say spew whatever drivel you want to, Jamal was rated highly after the Aus tour and had good numbers. Given how our team is not setting the world on fire especially in the test arena, it’s certainly a shocker her been completely dumped!

 

[Rana]

Shadab, Faheem, Hassan Ali, Haris Rauf are not Saya players?

Faheem is I think

This was an issue during the 2023 World Cup

The accusation was that Inzimam, Rizwan, Babar slotted Faheem in for the Asia Cup (before the World Cup) favouring him because of his agency

 

[Obaidd]

Shadab, Faheem, Hassan Ali, Haris Rauf are not Saya players?

Isn’t this the group that does the ticketed meet ups with fans before important matches?

So many shady characters in pak crickets setup.

 

[Obaidd]

Faheem is I think

This was an issue during the 2023 World Cup

The accusation was that Inzimam, Rizwan, Babar slotted Faheem in for the Asia Cup (before the World Cup) favouring him because of his agency

Do you think Haris/Shadab/Hassan should be in category B when Saud and Shan are in category C and D?

I get your valid points for demotion of Babar and Riz.

 

[rpant_gabba]

This sounds more like PCB going bankrupt.

 

[RidiculousMan]

The Champions Cup was scrapped because Naqvi has badly mis managed the PCB's finances and any reporter who pinpoints this out is targeted by the PCB and PDM.

Badly mismanaged? Even a 15 yo knows what's the budget limit.

 

[Mamoon]

Looks like I hit a nerve, but who cares. You are one of the dumbest posters on PP, so you’d be the last person I’d seek intelligence ratings from. Also, I haven’t tried to sell you anything but only pointed out what’s obvious to see for everyone; except you. So, stick you sense of self-importance where the sun doesn’t shine.

you can say spew whatever drivel you want to, Jamal was rated highly after the Aus tour and had good numbers. Given how our team is not setting the world on fire especially in the test arena, it’s certainly a shocker her been completely dumped!

You wish you had hit a nerve, because that would mean that I would be taking you seriously. However, I cannot take you seriously when you want to pass around your assumption as facts.

A. Jamal is an average player who has been poor in T20s and even worse than Faheem who himself is poor, but no, he got axed because he is a PTI supporter.

No more replies unless I see something intelligent.

 

[Rana]

Do you think Haris/Shadab/Hassan should be in category B when Saud and Shan are in category C and D?

I get your valid points for demotion of Babar and Riz.

Hassan Ali no.

Shadab and Rauf are clearly in the white ball plans. They will depend on those two going forward. Hassan Ali is one pasting away from being discarded indefinitely. He may have improved but he just isn’t capable of bowling to world elite batters anymore with his lack of pace.

Hesson likes Shadab. Aqib loves Rauf. They see these two as their key players.

 

[RidiculousMan]

You wish you had hit a nerve, because that would mean that I would be taking you seriously. However, I cannot take you seriously when you want to pass around your assumption as facts.

A. Jamal is an average player who has been poor in T20s and even worse than Faheem who himself is poor, but no, he got axed because he is a PTI supporter.

No more replies unless I see something intelligent.

Jamal is pro IK. Faheem is pro Nawaz

Simple logical trail

 

[Caved12]

Anytime, anywhere, in any situation, whether it’s sports or anything else, when someone new comes in and takes charge, the sensible thing is to give them the benefit of the doubt, wish them well, and hope for the best. Situations keep changing, and naturally, opinions and comments are made based on what’s happening at the time. You’d have to really go out of your way not to understand this.

My past comments were based on the circumstances back then, and they cannot be compared to what’s going on now. At that time, I supported certain decisions and hoped for the best, because that’s what any supporter is supposed to do when following a team. But the old post being quoted here has no relevance to what I’m saying today. Yet, as usual, some low IQ posters drag up old stuff when they’ve got nothing intelligent to add.

Back then, I said I was afraid things might eventually fall apart with the PCB and look how right I was. Right after that meeting, the decline began. They stripped big name coaches of their powers, handed everything to Aaqib, let him hop from one position to another, and made constant unnecessary changes. Every move only exposed the corruption further, upset the players, and dragged this team to an all time low.

Discussion is always about the present, what’s happening now and what should be done now. And not every topic requires me to chime in at the time it’s posted. Like everyone else, I have a life outside of here, and it’s impossible to be on 24/7.

So stop with the nonsense. You’re not as smart as you think. The best thing you can do is sit back, read, and maybe learn something instead of spamming the forum with pointless posts.

 

[Rana]

Jamal is pro IK. Faheem is pro Nawaz

Simple logical trail

Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen are all pro Imran Khan.

I didn’t see any of them being hounded for their political support. Babar was reinstated captain by Naqvi. Rizwan was given a chance to captain straight after

It has nothing to do with political support, they can keep it personal to them and no one cares!

 

[Mamoon]

Jamal is pro IK. Faheem is pro Nawaz

Simple logical trail

Yes, that also must be the reason why Faheem had a much better PSL than Jamal.

 

[Rana]

My past comments were based on the circumstances back then, and they cannot be compared to what’s going on now. At that time, I supported certain decisions and hoped for the best, because that’s what any supporter is supposed to do when following a team. But the old post being quoted here has no relevance to what I’m saying today. Yet, as usual, some low IQ posters drag up old stuff when they’ve got nothing intelligent to add.

Very rich

What’s high IQ?

- Not having consistent views?
-Shifting goal posts when convenient?

 

[Rana]

So stop with the nonsense. You’re not as smart as you think. The best thing you can do is sit back, read, and maybe learn something instead of spamming the forum with pointless posts.

Get one thing engraved into your head.

I will not allow you to distort the truth. I will not allow you to act like people here are a bunch of watermelons who you think you are addressing. I will shut down dishonest narratives. I will expose your double standards. I will expose your hypocrisy.

Post very carefully. Truthfully. Without dishonesty, without thinking that you will go unquestioned….you will be fine.

If you don’t, then you will be challenged. And challenged hard! I’m not going to allow rubbish to be normalised. Not on my watch.

 

[Rana]

2 different people. The first one is someone who’s OK with Babar and Rizwan escaping the Cat A axe last year even though Pakistan had lost to USA and that extremely poor run into the World Cup.


If Naqvi has truly stepped up and adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards the issues in our cricket setup, then I'm all for his approach. However, it might be wishful thinking, as history suggests the PCB often reverts to its usual ways. Fakhar’s exclusion from the central contract was justified; he overstepped by publicly questioning the selection committee on social media. Moreover, no player should undermine their coach, captain and management, especially during team meetings intended to bridge divides within the squad. The players demoted to lower category contracts had it coming. We haven’t achieved anything significant in recent years, yet somehow, players seemed to gain star status despite the losses.

No player should ever consider themselves bigger than the team. Right now, we’re at our lowest point: our pacers are unfit and frequently injured, and our batters struggle with situational awareness and constructing solid innings. It seems that the only thing some players have mastered is their PR game. Given the current state of Pakistan cricket, I’d fully support a strict, no-nonsense policy to prioritize discipline, accountability, and team cohesion above all else.

The second one is one that scorned at the fact that Babar and Rizwan have been demoted from Category A once the performances are abundantly clear and indefensible anymore.

By refusing to place any players in Category A, the PCB has essentially sent a humiliating message, not just to its own players, but also to the rest of the cricketing world that Pakistan is a minnow level side with no world class talent. At this rate, Naqvi’s tenure will go down in history as one of the darkest chapters of Pakistan cricket, remembered for dragging the PCB to an all time low. And the worrying part is, he doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere for the next couple of years.

Yes, we don’t have the strongest pool of players right now, but completely ignoring Category A is the wrong message to send. Even a struggling team needs its players to feel valued, respected, and backed by the board. Right now, the PCB is doing the exact opposite.

So now tell me, this is your high IQ reasoning?

 

[RidiculousMan]

Yes, that also must be the reason why Faheem had a much better PSL than Jamal.

Faheem was inducted and Jamal was ousted before PSL.

I didn't take you as 'charhte suraj ko salam' type.

 

[Rana]

Anytime, anywhere, in any situation, whether it’s sports or anything else, when someone new comes in and takes charge, the sensible thing is to give them the benefit of the doubt

Naqvi did that didn’t he? So what’s the issue now? He gave Babar and Rizwan a very fair chance even though he must have heard from plenty around him they are an issue. Why are you crying then?

 

[Caved12]

Sufiyan is another player who has done very well in both ODIs and T20s, and deserved a better contract. The more you look at the list, the more you realize what a big mess this is.

 

[Mamoon]

Faheem was inducted and Jamal was ousted before PSL.

I didn't take you as 'charhte suraj ko salam' type.

No no I agree with you. Amir Jamal averages 93 with the ball at an economy rate of 11 in T20 internationals because he is an Imran Khan supporter. We are on the same page here.

 

[Mamoon]

The guy who averages 93 with the ball at an ER of 11 in T20Is deserved to be part of the Asia Cup squad but the poor guy got neglected because of political affiliations.

 

[Mamoon]

This squad is absolute shambles, but let’s make one thing clear - A. Jamal did not deserve to be part of it.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Faheem was inducted and Jamal was ousted before PSL.

I didn't take you as 'charhte suraj ko salam' type.

Well, Faheem was pretty much the best all-rounder in the Champions Cup. Jamal barely played the tournament. I know there was alot of criticism and political innuendo around his selection in the CT squad, but people need to accept that he is the best seam-bowling all-rounder that Pakistan have in white-ball right now...especially after his performances in the PSL.

That doesn’t mean he’s a good player, nor does it reflect well on Pakistan’s talent pool, but it is the reality.

 

[Rana]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1958584040937693459

 

[Caved12]

I like Jamal and honestly rate him higher than Faheem, but to be fair, Faheem has outperformed all the other pace bowling all rounders over the past year. His batting has clearly improved, while his bowling hasn’t really gone forward, in fact, he looked a better bowler a few years back. Still, at the end of the day he has put in the performances, and that’s what matters in selection.

Jamal is someone PCB should invest in and keep in their long term plans. Unfortunately, after that Australia series he picked up an injury, which didn’t help his case at all. On top of that, he doesn’t have much time on his side since he’s already 30. For him, the time is now, he needs to channel all that energy and frustration into becoming a better all rounder and try to outperform the rest in domestic cricket.

The reality is he hasn’t done much recently, while Faheem’s numbers are better. But I still back Jamal and hope he improves with time. What’s crucial for him is fitness, he has to stay injury free if he wants a proper run. And honestly, he should stay away from politics or unnecessary distractions. Focus purely on cricket. No need to wear numbers on caps or get caught up in off field stuff that only harms your career. Too many of our youngsters lose focus on cricket and get involved in everything else.

 

[Obaidd]

I like Jamal and honestly rate him higher than Faheem, but to be fair, Faheem has outperformed all the other pace bowling all rounders over the past year. His batting has clearly improved, while his bowling hasn’t really gone forward, in fact, he looked a better bowler a few years back. Still, at the end of the day he has put in the performances, and that’s what matters in selection.

Jamal is someone PCB should invest in and keep in their long term plans. Unfortunately, after that Australia series he picked up an injury, which didn’t help his case at all. On top of that, he doesn’t have much time on his side since he’s already 30. For him, the time is now, he needs to channel all that energy and frustration into becoming a better all rounder and try to outperform the rest in domestic cricket.

The reality is he hasn’t done much recently, while Faheem’s numbers are better. But I still back Jamal and hope he improves with time. What’s crucial for him is fitness, he has to stay injury free if he wants a proper run. And honestly, he should stay away from politics or unnecessary distractions. Focus purely on cricket. No need to wear numbers on caps or get caught up in off field stuff that only harms your career. Too many of our youngsters lose focus on cricket and get involved in everything else.

The better bowler out of the two should get the spot in the squad. Jamal could have been retained in Category D. Offloading him makes little sense as he’s the only other fast-bowling alrounder.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Well, Faheem was pretty much the best all-rounder in the Champions Cup. Jamal barely played the tournament. I know there was alot of criticism and political innuendo around his selection in the CT squad, but people need to accept that he is the best seam-bowling all-rounder that Pakistan have in white-ball right now...especially after his performances in the PSL.

That doesn’t mean he’s a good player, nor does it reflect well on Pakistan’s talent pool, but it is the reality.

Faheem was a done and dusted case. The amount of chances he got and the consistent basis he was in the squad. Those chances could've gone to more deserving players like Aamer Yamin or Hammad Azam at the time.

And we know when PCB wants to treat someone like sh*t or get him out of the team. They do it - without hesitation.

 

[Caved12]

The better bowler out of the two should get the spot in the squad. Jamal could have been retained in Category D. Offloading him makes little sense as he’s the only other fast-bowling alrounder.

I agree that Jamal should have been retained in category D, but he really shot himself in the foot by getting injured and then getting into politics. Our players never learn, just play cricket and stop making stupid moves that only hurt the team and fans. He’s a decent prospect, but nowhere near good enough to survive these mistakes. If he wants a career, he needs to stay fit and keep his head down instead of wasting time on politics.

 

[Savak]

This squad is absolute shambles, but let’s make one thing clear - A. Jamal did not deserve to be part of it.

No one is advocating for Aamir Jamals inclusion in the white ball team but to deny him any contract is blatant injustice

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Faheem was a done and dusted case. The amount of chances he got and the consistent basis he was in the squad. Those chances could've gone to more deserving players like Aamer Yamin or Hammad Azam at the time.

And we know when PCB wants to treat someone like sh*t or get him out of the team. They do it - without hesitation.

People need to stop promoting this fallacy that Aamir Yamin or Hammad Azam were international material, because they weren't. I don't even recall them having a single PSL season like Faheem had this year. They were bang-on mediocre players who probably would have been even worse than Faheem.

Hammad Azam is an old player. He played the 2010 U-19 World Cup with Babar and was in the system for a number of years when Pakistan were missing that seam-bowling all-rounder. And it's not like he wasn't given chances. He was, and he failed to give even a single performance of note.

At the end of the day, its simple. It's not about whether you or I like him or not, fact is he performed and earned his place in the side.

 

[Obaidd]

Shadab and Rauf are clearly in the white ball plans. They will depend on those two going forward.

Hesson likes Shadab. Aqib loves Rauf. They see these two as their key players.

Looking at these two for a bit.

To be in white ball plans and being given category B contracts are two different things especially with how PCB management acted with giving contracts to test players like Saud (premium test batsman in category C) and Shan (test captain category D)

 

[Slim]

Nope. It wasn’t justified. You don’t drop players from central contract, keep them out of the team for years, damage team results just because of a tweet.

Who dropped someone for a tweet from central contract? What are you on about?

 

[RidiculousMan]

People need to stop promoting this fallacy that Aamir Yamin or Hammad Azam were international material, because they weren't. I don't even recall them having a single PSL season like Faheem had this year. They were bang-on mediocre players who probably would have been even worse than Faheem.

Hammad Azam is an old player. He played the 2010 U-19 World Cup with Babar and was in the system for a number of years when Pakistan were missing that seam-bowling all-rounder. And it's not like he wasn't given chances. He was, and he failed to give even a single performance of note.

At the end of the day, its simple. It's not about whether you or I like him or not, fact is he performed and earned his place in the side.

Aamir Yamin scored a match winning 50 in his debut series in ODI. A feat that Faheem failed to achieve in his entire career.

It's that simple. If you are a Faheem fan just say it. But there were better all round options at the time also.

 

[BouncerGuy]

WATCH YOUR POSTS

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Aamir Yamin scored a match winning 50 in his debut series in ODI. A feat that Faheem failed to achieve in his entire career.

It's that simple. If you are a Faheem fan just say it. But there were better all round options at the time also.

So I guess that makes him the second coming of Razzaq then? Aamir Yamin was a bang-on mediocre cricketer. I saw hm play enough so nothing you say can change my mind about him.

Look, if you have trouble accepting the basic fact that when people perform, they get selected; that's your problem, not mine. If you don't like Faheem, then just say it instead of hiding behind these ridiculous arguments. Frankly I could care less if Faheem was dropped from the team today.

 

[RidiculousMan]

So I guess that makes him the second coming of Razzaq then? Aamir Yamin was a bang-on mediocre cricketer. I saw hm play enough so nothing you say can change my mind about him.

Look, if you have trouble accepting the basic fact that when people perform, they get selected; that's your problem, not mine. If you don't like Faheem, then just say it instead of hiding behind these ridiculous arguments. Frankly I could care less if Faheem was dropped from the team today.

That makes him better than Faheem Ashraf. Faheem hasn't done anything in that format. I don't endorse the comeback of a tried and tested failure.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Looking at these two for a bit.

To be in white ball plans and being given category B contracts are two different things especially with how PCB management acted with giving contracts to test players like Saud (premium test batsman in category C) and Shan (test captain category D)

If there's one thing these central contracts show it's that the PCB don't care about test cricket at all.