No Category A! Babar Azam suffers major setback, demoted in PCB central contracts

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam and current ODI skipper Mohammad Rizwan have been demoted to Category ‘B’ in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) latest list of central contracts, released on Tuesday.

For the 2025–26 cycle, the PCB has not placed any player in the top Category ‘A’, instead distributing 30 cricketers across Categories 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," the PCB said in a media release.

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The board did not disclose the financial details of the contracts.Babar and Rizwan’s demotion comes after a string of underwhelming performances in major tournaments, including the 2024 T20 World Cup, the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, and bilateral series against Bangladesh and the West Indies.Meanwhile, T20 captain Salman Ali Agha has been promoted from Category C to B, while opener Saim Ayub and pacer Haris Rauf have also moved up the ladder.

The PCB has expanded its pool of contracted players from 27 last year to 30 this year, introducing 12 new names: 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.Pakistan Cricket Board’s latest list of central contracts:

Nine players have retained their places in the same categories, including Abdullah Shafique (Category C), Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (all in Category D), along with Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel (all in Category C), and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Category B).On the other hand, eight players have been dropped from the central contracts list: Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan — all of whom were previously in Category D.