Pakistan Cricket Board demotes pacer Afridi, awards contracts to five emerging players

In this file photo, taken on November 11, 2023, Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi reacts during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match between England and Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India. (REUTERS/File)

• Shaheen Afridi demoted to category B after lackluster performances, reports of disputes with colleagues
• Fakhar Zaman loses out on central contract while pacer Haris Rauf has been demoted to category C

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Sunday it was awarding central contracts to five emerging cricketers while demoting big names Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, based on a string of lackluster performances.
The PCB awards annual contracts to cricketers divided into categories A, B, C and D. These contracts provide cricketers with a fixed monthly salary, match fees and other benefits.
The board announced in its latest statement that it had awarded central contracts to 25 players. Star batter Babar Azam has been retained in the A category with Muhammad Rizwan while Afridi, once the leader of Pakistan’s lethal pace attack, has been demoted to category B from A.
“As part of the PCB’s strategy to incentivize, encourage and reward talented and emerging cricketers, five players have been offered central contracts for the first time,” the board said. 
“They are Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Usman Khan.”
Azam has been retained in the top category despite a string of poor performances. The cricketer was dropped from Pakistan’s second and third test matches against England after he failed to score a fifty in over eight test matches on the trot.
An out-of-form Afridi has been unable to perform for Pakistan. The left-arm fast bowler was also dropped after Pakistan’s humiliating loss to England in the first test match in Multan. The development also takes place amid local media reports of Afridi being involved in disputes with Azam and former Pakistani selector Mohammad Yousuf.
Fiery Pakistani pacer Rauf has also been demoted to category C from B while white-ball regular Fakhar Zaman has not been awarded any contract.
Zaman made headlines earlier this month when he publicly expressed concern at the PCB’s decision to drop Azam after the first England Test. In a post on social media platform X, Zaman said the PCB’s move could send a “deeply negative message” across the team.
Pakistan’s test captain Shan Masood, meanwhile, has been granted a category B contract subject to him retaining his captaincy. Pakistani cricketers Sajid Khan, Noman Ali and Salman Ali Agha, who put in impressive performances against England, have been awarded category C contracts.