PCB central contracts: Shaheen Shah Afridi demoted to Category B

PCB demotes Shaheen Afridi, excludes Zaman from central contracts, while rewarding emerging cricketers for 2024-25 season.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday (October 27, 2024) demoted premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to Category B from Category A, and did not offer central contracts to senior players Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Osama Mir for the 2024-25 season.

Test skipper Shan Masood remained in Category B despite Pakistan scoring a come-from-behind 2-1 series victory over England recently.

The board awarded the central contracts to a total of 25 players just two short of the 27 who were given contracts last year.

Like last year, the PCB made the contracts announcement after a delay of nearly three months as the players performances, fitness levels and behaviour were analysed.

In that context, a PCB source informed PTI that Zaman, the only Pakistan player with a double hundred in ODIs, was excluded from the list of contract players because he failed two fitness tests.

“Fakhar has an ongoing knee problem for which he is undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA in Lahore. He failed two fitness tests recently and will now take another test at the end of November,” the source said.

He said the selectors had informed Zaman that he needed to meet fitness standards as they might include him in the national squad for the tour to South Africa in December and also for the Champions Trophy next year.