The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a revised central contracts list after a thorough review on Friday, October 20. Five new players were added to the previous 25-member list and the former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been promoted to Category B from D in a big development in Pakistan cricket.
Fans were shocked when Sarfaraz was named in category D in the previous central contract list released by the Najam Sethi-led management committee. The veteran wicketkeeper batter has been in excellent form in red-ball cricket as he leads Karachi Region Whites to the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023, Pakistan's premier First-Class tournament, this season.
Sarfaraz has been promoted to category B along with star cricketers Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman and four more. Captain Babar Azam, star pacer Shaheen Afridi and the first-choice wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan are the only three players named in category B.
The newly appointed PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf took a review of the previous list submitted by the committee after a meeting with captain Babar Azam, chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq and team director Mickey Arthur.
Five players added to the revised list are Abrar Ahmed, Noman Ali, Aamir Jamal, Arshad Iqbal and Tayyab Tahir. Abrar Ahmed and Noman Ali are drafted in Category C while Aamir Jamal, Arshad Iqbal and Tayyab Tahir find a place in Category D in the new contracts list.
PCB Revised Contracts list:
Category A: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi
Category B: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shadab Khan
Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Imad Wasim and Noman Ali
Category D: Aamir Jamal, Arshad Iqbal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan
