Mohammad Hafeez has been dropped from the list of centrally contracted players for the 2019/2020 season
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Veteran Pakistan all-rounders Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik were dropped from the list of centrally contracted players for the 2019/2020 season.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reduced the number of players awarded central contracts from 33 to 19, while it also trimmed the number of categories from five to three.
Captain Sarfraz Ahmed, batsman Babar Azam and spinner Yasir Shah were the only players in the top category.
Meanwhile, left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir, who recently retired from Test cricket, and opener Fakhar Zaman have been demoted from categories A and B respectively to category C.
Test batsman Azhar Ali also moved down from category A to B.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq, batsman Haris Sohail, and pace bowler Mohammad Abbas were promoted from category C to B, while batsman Asad Shafiq retained his category B contract.
The new contracts will be valid from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020.
“We have significantly increased the financial value of the 2019-20 retainers across each category,” PCB managing director Wasim Khan was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “This is over and above what had been agreed in the current agreement, which is due to run until 2021.
“The PCB have set high standards and targets in its strategic plan for the upcoming season. We want to attach a high value to receiving a central contract. We have complete faith and confidence that these players will set up and produce on-field performances that will help us collectively achieve our objectives and targets.”
Category A (PKR 1.1m): Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah
Category B (PKR 750,000): Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Abbas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Wahab Riaz
Category C (PKR 550,000): Abid Ali, Hasan Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Usman Khan Shinwari
Players who lost their contract: Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Bilal Asif, Saad Ali, Mir Hamza, Umaid Asif, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Nawaz, Rumman Raees, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Rahat Ali, Usman Salahuddin