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PCB announces new central contract structure: Pakistan National Cricket Team has been going through a lot of problems, as they have failed to win against Bangladesh in recent times, losing the Test series, followed by the ODI series as well.
However, they won the ODI series against Australia following the defeat against Bangladesh. Recently, the Pakistan Women’s side lost to the India Women’s National Cricket Team in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Now, on Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the new structure for central contracts for the Men’s side, and there is a whole restructuring of the new contracts. Mohsin Naqvi, PCB Chairman, announced the new structure at a press conference alongside white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, national selector and Director of High Performance Aqib Javed, and other top board members.
New category introduced by PCB in central contracts
The updated model replaces the previous A, B, C, and D classifications with a five-tiered structure that categorises players based on their role, format specialisation, and stage of growth. As only the T20I players for the side have been dropped down to the lowest category alongside the domestic players and league players, which is category D.
Followed by then in the BC category, the ODI and T20I cricketers, and the AB category will have the core players who play in the Test and the 50-over format. Category A has been created only for red-ball cricketers, as PCB aims to strengthen its Test squad by providing additional benefits and allowing players greater opportunities to participate in overseas first-class competitions.
Contract criteria will be data-driven- Mohsin Naqvi
“We have prepared a system where 85 per cent of the contract criteria will be data-driven, while the remaining 15 per cent will be at the discretion of the selection committee,” he said. The PCB chairman added that the new structure was done to address concerns surrounding player selection at the domestic level and create a more transparent process.
“There were cases where players at the domestic level were not receiving fair recognition. We hope this entire process will now be transparent, and there should be little room for objections regarding how contracts are awarded,” he stated.
Fitness main criterion for Central Contracts
Apart from that, Mohsin Naqvi has informed that the selection criteria will also be dependent on fitness, and it remains a mandatory requirement for players getting central contracts. As fitness has been one of the issues for Pakistan in recent years, players have been injured as well.
Chief Selector Aaqib Javed was asked about how much time he needs to improve Pakistan cricket. As Pakistan cricket has hit a new low, as they have failed to win 10 matches combining both Men's and Women's cricket against India, and also the Men's team failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup since 2011.
Javed replied, "It's very difficult to give a timeline in cricket. I can't say that after six months Pakistan will never lose a match again, that's simply not possible. Cricket is one of the most difficult sports in which to achieve consistent improvement."
