LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday issued 12-month central contracts to 25 players in which it demoted star Shaheen Afridi and axed several other players without giving them any contracts at all.

The development comes as the PCB in July announced a return to its old model of awarding a one-year central contract to national team players – contingent on their performance.

The board also decided that the fitness of the players will be checked every three months and it will be mandatory for the athletes to participate in domestic cricket.

In the latest list of central contracts, the PCB has placed Shaheen in Category B, whereas earlier he was placed in Category A. Additionally, Fakhar Zaman – who was in Category B – was not awarded a central contract at all .

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan being the only two players in Category A, players who missed out on central contracts include former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris. , Ihsanullah, Shahnawaz Dahani and others.

Pakistan Test skipper Shan Masood has been placed in Category B. However, his inclusion in the said category is subject to the captaincy.

Meanwhile, Shaheen’s demotion comes after he and Babar were “rested” for the second and third Tests of the recently concluded three-match series at home against England.

Both players were part of the first Test which the Green Shirts lost and were subsequently dropped from the squad for the remaining matches.

In addition, several emerging cricketers were given central contracts for the first time, including Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Usman Khan.

It should be noted that the existing three-year central contracts were awarded last year and came into effect on July 1, 2023.

As for those players left out of the list altogether, sources say Fakhar, Imam and Osama have failed their initial fitness tests and will undergo them again in the coming days.

The inclusion of the trio, the sources added, in the central contract will be reviewed after the fitness test.

They also mentioned that no player opted out of their central contract.

Central contracts

Category A: Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan

Category B: Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood

Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan

Category D: Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hurraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Usman Khan