PCB announces new central contracts; Amir, Hassan and Imad promoted

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday has issued new central contracts for the year 2017-18 for 35 players in four categories.

A diverse set of youngsters has been included in the list of contracted players, while promotions and demotions have been agreed to be carried out on the basis of performance and fitness of players.

“The Central Contracts were awarded after keeping in mind the performances, fitness, and discipline of the players,” says the statement from the PCB.

“A number of young players have been awarded Central Contracts this year keeping in mind that the teams in all formats will be going through a transitionary period after a number of retirements,” the statement added.

According to the new list, Mohammad Amir has been promoted from B category to A category; Wahab Riaz has been demoted from B to C category, while Imad Wasim and Hasan Ali have been promoted from C to B category.

Umar Akmal has not been offered the central contract by the PCB.

Players currently suspended due to the PSL spot-fixing inquiry were also removed from the list of the contracted players.

However, Mohammad Nawaz, who was suspended for two months in May for failing to report a corrupt approach, has been offered a category D contract.

“As per the understanding of players and the PCB, the monthly allowances for all categories have been increased by 10%,” said the PCB.

Six players have been put into category A, four in category B, 11 in category C and 14 in category D.

Following is the list of players who have been awarded the new central contract:

Category A: Mohammad Amir, Sarfraz Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Shoaib Malik, Yasir Shahand Mohammad Hafeez.

Category B: Imad Wasim, Asad Shafiq, Hasan Ali and Babar Azam,

Category C: Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Haris Sohail, Sami Aslam, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Junaid Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Abbas and Shadab Khan.

Category D: Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Zakir, Usman Salahuddin, Aamer Yamin, Usman Shinwari, Fahim Ashraf, Rumman Raees, Imam-ul-Haq, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza, Umar Amin, Mohammad Hassan, Mohammad Asghar and Mohammad Irfan.

Salary packages offered on different contracts:

Category A: Rs 650,000

Category B: Rs 450,000

Category C: Rs 260,000

Category D: Rs 179,000