LAHORE – Another blow to top Pakistani batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as the duo demoted to Category B in central contracts announced for season 2025–26, with no player placed in top Category A bracket.
Star batter Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan have been demoted to Category B as they are joined by Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, and Salman Ali Agha in the same group.
Category C includes Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Haris, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sahibzada Farhan, and Hasan Nawaz.
Meanwhile, Category D list includes Shan Masood, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Khushdil Shah, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Sufyan Moqim, and Khurram Shahzad.
PCB’s decision not to award any player a Category A contract marks a significant shift in its approach, raising questions about performance standards and the board’s future plans for senior players.
Babar Azam drops, Haris Rauf climbs up in Latest ICC Rankings
