The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday announced central contracts for 30 male cricketers for the upcoming 2025–26 international season, with no players placed in the top-tier Category A.

Last month, the number of male and female players in the central contract lists rose, according to PCB’s 2025-26 budget documents.

According to a press release by PCB today, the contracts, effective from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, “reflect the board’s continued commitment to recognising and supporting national talent.”

This year’s roster sees ten players each placed in Categories B, C, and D, with the PCB acknowledging that “no player has been selected for Category A in this cycle.”

Pertinent to mention is that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were the only two players in Category A for the 2024-25 season.

The duo have seen their stock fall over the past year; the former batting mainstays having been sidelined from the T20 squad.

“Compared to last year’s list of 27 contracted players, the PCB has expanded the pool to 30, including 12 fresh additions, highlighting the emergence of promising new talent and the board’s strategic focus on squad depth and future development,” PCB said.

The new entrants are: Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza and Sufyan Moqim.

Five players have been promoted owing to their last year’s performances, PCB said. They are: Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha and Shadab Khan — all promoted from C to B category.

Additionally, nine players have retained their positions in the same categories. They are: Abdullah Shafique (Category C), Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr — all in Category D, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel — all in Category C and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Category B).

PCB noted that eight players have missed out on contracts this year, namely Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Usman Khan — all in Category (D).

List of this year’s centrally contacted players:

Category B (10 players): Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Category C (10 players): Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan and Saud Shakeel

Category D (10 players): Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood and Sufyan Moqim