PCB to announce Central Contracts List for 2020/21 on Wednesday [Post# 49]

[MenInG]

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to demote their 2017 Champions Trophy-winning captain, Sarfaraz Ahmed from category ‘A’ to ‘C’ in the new central contracts, to be given to the players in August. (More Cricket News)

According to details, the Board has also decided against reducing the central contract retainers or match fees for the players despite the coronavirus pandemic suspending all cricket activities around the world.

The PCB last year in August had awarded central contracts to only 19 players, omitting seniors like Muhammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik from the list.

The number of contracted players were reduced from 32 to 19 as per a policy decision of the Board.

Sarfaraz was kept in category A with Babar Azam and Yasir Shah as at that time he was captain in all three formats.

But in November, the selectors not only dropped wicketkeeper-batsman, Sarfaraz as captain but also as a player from all three formats.

"Sarfaraz has been demoted to category C in the new contracts as he is presently not a member of the playing side," a PCB source said.

The new list of contracted players is being finalised by a committee that includes PCB CEO, Wasim Khan, Director International Cricket Operations, Zakir Khan and the head coach and chief selector, Misbah-ul-Haq.

In the last central contracts the Board had increased the retainers by around 25 to 40 percent and this time the source said the PCB committee is contemplating increasing the Test match fee despite the financial crunch brought about by the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns the world over.

In the existing contracts, the Test match fees is Rs 762,300 for Category A players, Rs 665,280 for Category B and Rs 568,260 for Category C players.

The source said Abid Ali is likely to be promoted to Category B with fellow Test opener, Shan Masood while Hasan Ali could lose his contract.

The players who are presently centrally contracted include:

Category A: Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah.

Category B: Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Abbas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Wahab Riaz.

Category C: Shan Masood, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Aamir, Abid Ali, Muhammad Rizwan, Hasan Ali, Usman Shinari and Imad Wasim.

https://www.outlookindia.com/websit...ted-in-pcbs-new-central-contracts-list/352374

 

[Abdul]

Should be taken off the list altogether.

 

[Mir jibran]

Sad days for sarfaraz
Though i still believe he can make a comeback to the odi team , when on song he's better than rizwan

 

[Mir jibran]

[MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION] who are they going to promote to A category?
Nobody deserves it except Babar azam
Yasir should be demoted too

 

[MenInG]

[MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION] who are they going to promote to A category?
Nobody deserves it except Babar azam
Yasir should be demoted too

Interesting point - or maybe accept that no one else is deserving for a promotion!

 

[Mir jibran]

Interesting point - or maybe accept that no one else is deserving for a promotion!

I read somewhere they are going to promote azhar to A just because hes the test captain of the team

 

[Bezli]

I believe there’s some political agenda against Sarfaraz. I still believe he is one of the best WK in Pakistan who knows how to win.

I guess PCB playing their usual politics.

 

[Mir jibran]

I believe there’s some political agenda against Sarfaraz. I still believe he is one of the best WK in Pakistan who knows how to win.

I guess PCB playing their usual politics.

What political agenda ?
He has himself to blame
He became complacent , over weight and failed as a batsman
Good that now he has become fitter and i still believe he cN make a comeback to the odi team

 

[Savak]

Can't argue against the decision, you can't be given a central contract without being in the team

 

[TeymurBlake]

Besides Babar Azam, no one else should be in Contract A. He's been the only solid player over the last year. As for Sarfaraz, he's been poor for some time now and it would be best to not only demote him but get rid of him from the contract system.

 

[Slim]

I read somewhere they are going to promote azhar to A just because hes the test captain of the team

Axis of incompetence - Azhar, Waqar, Misbah.

 

[MMHS]

Babar, Shaheen and May be Rizwan deserves Cat A; Azhar as Test Captain also (it’s collateral damage - their mistake was to appoint him captain, rest are as per protocol, his position demands a top category). Harish could be, but fitness record is poor.

If Hassan is out of central contract, then not sure why Sarfraz.

 

[Markhor]

Hasan Ali could lose his central contract ? What a fall from grace.

 

[chacha kashmiri]

Sarfaraz ahmed has been very quiet since they got rid of him and I can't even remember him doing one interview
There's absoloutely no lobby for his inclusion in the side

 

[Saj]

The criteria remains a mystery.

May as well pick names out of a hat.

 

[Firebat]

Hasan Ali could lose his central contract ? What a fall from grace.

Sad to see his decline, 3 years after being top wicket taker in an international tournament.

 

[zacattakk]

Neither Hasan Ali nor Sarfaraz deserve central contracts at this point. And they have no one to blame but themselves.

 

[IndianHero]

One has to feel sorry for sarfaraz ahmed , he has won U19 World cup, CT 2017, made pakistan no 1 in T20 but PCB treats him this way ! Yes he has been in a bad patch but form is temporary & class is permenant.

PCB should look for long term goals and invest in player , if they treat their winning captains this way pakistan will not be winning/gaining much for sure as this becomes a precedent for future captains also.

 

[Hawkeye]

Good.

He's a liability, though Rizwan is a poorer batsman in T20s. Both Sarf and Riz are bad though.

 

[Hawkeye]

I read somewhere they are going to promote azhar to A just because hes the test captain of the team

Playing Test cricket is the highest honor for any cricketer, and the highest form of the game.

You think it's a joke? A Shoaib Malik fan, perhaps?

All Test-class cricketers should be in A or B category. Those who are playing only Tests should always be in A category.

 

[Mir jibran]

Playing Test cricket is the highest honor for any cricketer, and the highest form of the game.

You think it's a joke? A Shoaib Malik fan, perhaps?

All Test-class cricketers should be in A or B category. Those who are playing only Tests should always be in A category.

Just because one plays test cricket doesnt merit an A category contract, performance should also be considered and Azhar has been terribly out of form since last 2 years

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Playing Test cricket is the highest honor for any cricketer, and the highest form of the game.

You think it's a joke? A Shoaib Malik fan, perhaps?

All Test-class cricketers should be in A or B category. Those who are playing only Tests should always be in A category.

Lmao Malik fans criticizing contracts for test players. Malik, the epitome limited overs minnow bashing.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

So happy sarfraz is getting phased. I could barely watch pakistan cricket post 2017.

 

[Mueez]

How times changes.

From “hero” to “zero”.

Gotta feel for Sarfraz, however he has only himself to blame for.

 

[waleed88]

I like how being a saifi fan I see him losing weight for an iftar transmission, but he couldn't do that as the captain of the team. Virat kohli was so depressed after seeing himself in the mirror once he vowed never to eat unhealthy again... that's what motivation is. If only saifi did not have that complacency of being a captain and resting on his laurels. As a cricketing brain he is right up there, too bad he didn't have the performances as a captain to deserve that role

 

[hitthestump]

I believe there’s some political agenda against Sarfaraz. I still believe he is one of the best WK in Pakistan who knows how to win.

I guess PCB playing their usual politics.

Lol what? Some of you guys have short memories i guess

 

[hitthestump]

Sad to see his decline, 3 years after being top wicket taker in an international tournament.

Good. Hasan Ali teaches a very valuable lesson about complacency for all of our upcoming fast bowlers. You can never afford to rest on your laurels, lest you start thinking you are a superstar after one luck-ridden victorious campaign.

 

[coy0607]

Babar and Shaheen are the only people who deserve an A contact.. even Shaheen is arguable

 

[Saj]

An interesting point I was asked the other day.

Should players who retire from any format still be given a central cintract? For example Mohammad Amir.

 

[ads101]

This is how I would have the new contracts:

Contract A: Babar Azam, Azhar Ali, Abbas

Azhar will probably get it being captain. Abbas I'd give it to him as he's been consistently good in tests now and the spearhead of our test attack, and it's the only format he plays. Nice to give him a bit of an incentive since he's missing out on LOI and domestic league money.

Contract B: Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Shadab Khan, Mohammed Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Wahab Riaz

As long as Amir is a regular of our LOI he deserves a B contract. I don't agree with "punishing" him for retiring from tests by giving him a lesser contract than he deserves. Fakhar's going through a rough patch but has been a very important player, so I'd give him B and hope he gets back to form for now, I mean he still averages 46 in ODIs even after a slump and we need to encourage batsmen to keep batting aggressive, so many just become defensive to secure their place.

Contract C: Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Muhammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Hasan Ali, Usman Shinwari, Sarfraz Ahmed.

 

[Square Drive]

Rizwan being our WK in all 3 formats (or at least Tests & ODIs) deserves an 'A', as [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] suggested.

I think Shan's hard work and recent performances in the primary format of the game have been commendable and warrant a 'B' contract.

Shadab should get a 'B' as well for being a vital player in LOIs and perhaps being a VC to Babar in the future as well.

 

[Firebat]

This is how I would have the new contracts:

Contract A: Babar Azam, Azhar Ali, Abbas

Azhar will probably get it being captain. Abbas I'd give it to him as he's been consistently good in tests now and the spearhead of our test attack, and it's the only format he plays. Nice to give him a bit of an incentive since he's missing out on LOI and domestic league money.

Contract B: Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Shadab Khan, Mohammed Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Wahab Riaz

As long as Amir is a regular of our LOI he deserves a B contract. I don't agree with "punishing" him for retiring from tests by giving him a lesser contract than he deserves. Fakhar's going through a rough patch but has been a very important player, so I'd give him B and hope he gets back to form for now, I mean he still averages 46 in ODIs even after a slump and we need to encourage batsmen to keep batting aggressive, so many just become defensive to secure their place.

Contract C: Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Muhammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Hasan Ali, Usman Shinwari, Sarfraz Ahmed.

Does Fakhar deserve a B contract over players like Masood and Abid? His is extending into quite a lengthy slump of form, and he's been stubborn to change anything in his technique that has been failing him the last year or so. A good series vs Zimbabwe 2 years ago to pump up his stats a bit doesn't tell the full story.

 

[MMHS]

Cat A: Babar, Shaheen, Azhar, Rizwan
Cat B: Haris, Asad, Yasir, Abbas, Shadab, Abid
Cat C: Imam, Shan, Naseem, Imad, Fakhar, Iftekhar

Emerging (May be): Haider, Sameen, Ruhail, Musa

No need to award central contracts to MoHa, Malik, Amir, Wahab & Sarfraz - but they can be called for national team and paid match fees under Cat A.

Whoever else plays/gets call should be paid match fee under Cat C.

 

[Kaddy]

Cat A: Babar, Shaheen, Azhar, Rizwan
Cat B: Haris, Asad, Yasir, Abbas, Shadab, Abid
Cat C: Imam, Shan, Naseem, Imad, Fakhar, Iftekhar

Emerging (May be): Haider, Sameen, Ruhail, Musa

No need to award central contracts to MoHa, Malik, Amir, Wahab & Sarfraz - but they can be called for national team and paid match fees under Cat A.

Whoever else plays/gets call should be paid match fee under Cat C.

Rizwan in A ?????

 

[MMHS]

Rizwan in A ?????

He is among very few players who is starter for three formats and he does the most demanding, thankless job in the game. Also, guy should be rewarded for his efforts & commitment towards his fitness. Apart from Babar & Shaheen; Rizwan actually is the third most important player in PCT these days; could have the vice captain also considering he was A team captain for good 2-3 seasons. Now a 5-6 years veteran, he deserves a Cat A contract if they award it to at least 4 players. I have listed 20 players - at least 20% of that should be in top tier and Rizwan should be one of those.

 

[The Viper]

Only those who are captains and are important members in all formats should be given category A contracts.

 

[Bezli]

How times changes.

From “hero” to “zero”.

Gotta feel for Sarfraz, however he has only himself to blame for.

And PCB for plying dirty politics.

 

[Savak]

I think the PCB has decided to move on from Sarfaraz. Sarfaraz suffered from complacency and a lack of clear captaincy alternatives. He thought he could retain his place as captain in the team regardless of his own individual and team performance because there just wasn't anyone else who clearly looked like a reliable alternative. Sarfaraz's personal performances had been inconsistent and in decline, he was a misfit for the T-20 and ODI format where he just couldn't hit big at the end. His pathetic fitness didn't help either.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Sarfaraz is too old to get a recall. His performances will drop as a product of age in a year or two anyways.

Ideally he should have been retained but I don’t think it’s worth recalling him now that he’s out, I would much rather train a young and upcoming WK batsman

 

[chazam]

His yawn is proving very costly now.I could not believe a captain is yawning in the middle of a high tension match against arch rivals. Sad for him but most of it is his own deeds by being complacent.

 

[CleverSir]

One has to feel sorry for sarfaraz ahmed , he has won U19 World cup, CT 2017, made pakistan no 1 in T20 but PCB treats him this way ! Yes he has been in a bad patch but form is temporary & class is permenant.

PCB should look for long term goals and invest in player , if they treat their winning captains this way pakistan will not be winning/gaining much for sure as this becomes a precedent for future captains also.

Why should anyone feel sorry for Sarfaraz? You said it yourself, he has won U19 World cup, CT 2017, lead Pakistan no 1 in T20. Overall, a decent career at the international level. He lost his form and got dropped and now losing out on the high level contracts. That is the life cycle of a cricket player. He should be proud and happy with his career, he reached pretty much the maximum of his talent level. If he wants it to continue throw some more effort in. Feeling sorry should be for players like U. Akmal, or M. Asif or M. Amir who despite more talent couldn't put in the same effort for various reasons to realize their potentials. I can't feel sorry for a player that realized his potential, and now is on the downward trend of his career. Best of luck to a good Pakistan player on his future endeavors.

 

[CleverSir]

An interesting point I was asked the other day.

Should players who retire from any format still be given a central cintract? For example Mohammad Amir.

Yes. However, not the highest category. If they are playing regularly for the national team and putting up performances they deserve a contract. However, if they don't offer full services, so they don't get full benefits of a national contract either.

 

[Junaids]

Yes. However, not the highest category. If they are playing regularly for the national team and putting up performances they deserve a contract. However, if they don't offer full services, so they don't get full benefits of a national contract either.

Azhar Ali only plays one category out of three, because he’s not good enough to get into a white ball team....

 

[Saj]

Some rumours that Fakhar Zaman might lose his contract too.

 

[Bezli]

Some rumours that Fakhar Zaman might lose his contract too.

Fakhar Zaman deserves nothing but club cricket contracts.

One lucky hundred and he thought he was the next big thing after Virat.

 

[sweep_shot]

Sarfaraz is finished. Rizwan should be given a long reign.

Rohail also seems promising.

 

[MenInG]

Now reports saying Amir and Wahab also to be axed from contracts!

 

[Mueez]

Now reports saying Amir and Wahab also to be axed from contracts!

All these reports... we will have to wait to know the truth.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has submitted his recommendations on the men’s central contract list for the 2020-21 season to the PCB Chairman. The PCB will announce the men’s central contracts list for the forthcoming season tomorrow <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1260182423515561985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Mir jibran]

Now reports saying Amir and Wahab also to be axed from contracts!

What about fawad alam ? He has been part of the last 2 test series i think he should be given atleast C contract

 

[Boycottisno2]

Fawad Alam..... dont make me laugh..... he has missed the bus long time ago........ we should look at new upcoming talent and reward them .... we should be promoting new talent not 30+ players

 

[Mir jibran]

Fawad Alam..... dont make me laugh..... he has missed the bus long time ago........ we should look at new upcoming talent and reward them .... we should be promoting new talent not 30+ players

His domestic performances should be atleast rewarded with a C contract

 

[Forum363]

Fakhar Zaman deserves nothing but club cricket contracts.

One lucky hundred and he thought he was the next big thing after Virat.

Yes one lucky hundred against arch rivals which bought us our greatest tournament victory since 1992.

Not to mention the other good innings he played - first and only double century for Pakistan (for those who completely ignore it because it’s against Zimbabwe, why haven’t other players scored it if it’s so easy? Why are their only 8 double centuries in the last decade since Tendulkar got the first one? People play minnows all the time.) Then there’s the test match innings against Australia when Pakistan were 5 down on the first day for 50ish, which staged a spectacular comeback (along with sarfaraz) to allow Pakistan to win the game AND the series. And then the T20s tri series final against Australia, chasing a large total that he single handedly shot down.

Those are just the innings of the top of my head. He’s inconsistent, but he’s a luxury for us and to hear fans constantly bad mouthing him when the likes of akmals and hafeez have got hundreds of matches is ridiculous.

 

[aloo paratha]

Yes one lucky hundred against arch rivals which bought us our greatest tournament victory since 1992.

Not to mention the other good innings he played - first and only double century for Pakistan (for those who completely ignore it because it’s against Zimbabwe, why haven’t other players scored it if it’s so easy? Why are their only 8 double centuries in the last decade since Tendulkar got the first one? People play minnows all the time.) Then there’s the test match innings against Australia when Pakistan were 5 down on the first day for 50ish, which staged a spectacular comeback (along with sarfaraz) to allow Pakistan to win the game AND the series. And then the T20s tri series final against Australia, chasing a large total that he single handedly shot down.

Those are just the innings of the top of my head. He’s inconsistent, but he’s a luxury for us and to hear fans constantly bad mouthing him when the likes of akmals and hafeez have got hundreds of matches is ridiculous.

His 138 against England last year was fantastic. The others couldn't get the job done that day.

 

[Savak]

If you are going to fail with the bat 8 times out of 10, then you better be able to make up for it with the ball consistently or in the field. Fakhar doesn't do that unfortunately

 

[MenInG]

Karachi, May 12 (PTI) Senior players including former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Aamir will either be dropped or demoted in the new central contracts to be given by the Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday.
A source in the PCB told PTI that head coach-cum-chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq and chief executive officer Wasim Khan had sent the final list of contracted players to the chairman Ehsan Mani for approval.

"Wasim and Misbah met today and finalised the list and have submitted it to the chairman," the source said.

Wasim has said that the board is announcing the new central contracts early this year to end any insecurity among players created by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

He said the board wanted the players to feel comfortable and know they will not be hurt financially by the ongoing global economic crisis.

Normally the board issues the new contracts in July.

The source confirmed that new players such as Naseem Shah, Abid Ali and Mohammad Hasnain will be given the new contracts in place of Wahab, Aamir, Fakhar Zaman and few others like Usman Shinwari and Hasan Ali.

"The idea is to encourage and reward the new players who have done well for Pakistan and to keep some senior players without contracts as they are not willing to play test cricket," the source said. PTI

https://www.outlookindia.com/newssc...e-dropped-from-central-contracts-list/1832512

 

[Saj]

Cutbacks at the PCB.

Purse strings being tightened once again.

 

[azimiqbal]

I would keep things really simple

For you to qualify for category A you have to be a top performer in test cricket

If you are a top performer and only play ODI and T-20 you can be maximum category B

If you only play t-20 you will can only be category C

We have to encourage players to play test cricket and can do this only allowing a test player to achieve category A contracts

If I had it my way I would add a D category for. T-20 specialist

And my A/B Category would be made up of test players only

 

[coy0607]

No justification for anyone other than Babar, and maybe Shaheen to be in category A. No one else has had sustained performances in the last year. Not one other player

Hopefully Azhar doesn't get promoted to A in lieu of his 'seniority'

 

[zacattakk]

I would keep things really simple

For you to qualify for category A you have to be a top performer in test cricket

If you are a top performer and only play ODI and T-20 you can be maximum category B

If you only play t-20 you will can only be category C

We have to encourage players to play test cricket and can do this only allowing a test player to achieve category A contracts

If I had it my way I would add a D category for. T-20 specialist

And my A/B Category would be made up of test players only

The problem is who will define what a top performer is. I am sure that in Misbah's mind, both Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq are "top" performers.

 

[zacattakk]

No justification for anyone other than Babar, and maybe Shaheen to be in category A. No one else has had sustained performances in the last year. Not one other player

Hopefully Azhar doesn't get promoted to A in lieu of his 'seniority'

I am afraid he will. Seniority always rules in Pak cricket. Azhar is a senior player and has been made test captain by Misbah hence I suspect his promotion is imminent.