LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced its women’s central contracts for the 2025-26 season, awarding a total of 20 players across five categories. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal, who currently tops the ICC T20I bowling rankings, has been elevated to Category A.

In a significant move aimed at incentivising young talent, the board has introduced a new Category E, designated for emerging players. Unca­pped batter Eyman Fatima and 18-year-old opener Shawaal Zulfiqar — both part of the Pakistan squad touring Ireland — are the first to be included under this new tier.

Shawaal has represented Pakistan in three ODIs and seven T20Is, while both players featured in the inaugural ICC Women’s U-19 World Cup held in South Africa in early 2023.

The annual contracts, effective from July 1 to June 30, 2026, include a 50 per cent increase in monthly retainers across all categories. The list was finalised by the women’s selection committee in consultation with head coach Mohammad Wasim.

Over the coming year, the Pakistan women’s team is scheduled to participate in two major ICC events — the 50-over World Cup (Sept-Oct 2025) and the T20 World Cup (June 2026) — along with bilateral series at home and abroad.

Among the newly contracted players are Aliya Riaz (Category B), Natalia Parvaiz, Sidra Nawaz, and Waheeda Akhtar (all in Category D), alongside Eyman Fatima and Shawaal Zulfiqar.

Diana Baig, who was previously in Category C, has been promoted to Category B, while Rameen Shamim has moved up from Category D to C.

Women’s central contracts:

Category A: Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin; Category B: Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Nashra Sundhu; Category C: Rameen Shamim; Category D: Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Nawaz, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar; Category E: Eyman Fatima, Shawaal Zulfiqar

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2025