Former captain Babar Azam and present ODI skipper Mohammed Rizwan have been downgraded to class ‘B’ within the newest checklist of central contracts launched by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday (August 19, 2025).

The PCB, actually, has not discovered any cricketer match to be within the elite class and has positioned 30 gamers in Category ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’.

“The contracts, effective from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, reflect the Board’s continued commitment to recognising and supporting national talent. This year’s roster sees ten players each placed in Categories B, C, and D. Notably, no player has been selected for Category A in this cycle,” PCB acknowledged in a media launch.

The PCB launch would not point out the valuation of the contracts.

Babar and Rizwan have been penalised for his or her persistently poor present throughout all marquee occasions, together with final 12 months’s T20 World Cup, this 12 months’s ICC Champions Trophy, and the bilaterals in opposition to Bangladesh and the West Indies.

T20 skipper Salman Ali Agha, then again, has earned a promotion from group C to B.

The different notable promotions are opener Saim Ayub and pacer Haris Rauf.

Compared to final 12 months’s checklist of 27 contracted gamers, the PCB has expanded the pool to 30, together with 12 contemporary additions.

The new entrants are Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza and Sufyan Moqim.

Additionally, 9 gamers have retained their positions in the identical classes.

They are Abdullah Shafique (Category C), Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr – all in Category D, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel – all in Category C and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Category B).

Eight gamers who’ve missed out on contracts this 12 months embody Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Usman Khan. They have been all in Category (D).

Pakistan’s centrally-contacted gamers:

Category B (10 gamers): Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Category C (10 gamers): Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan and Saud Shakeel

Category D (10 gamers): Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood and Sufyan Moqim.

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