LAHORE: In a significantly unusual and unprecedented stance that lacks transparency, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided not to disclose the names of the players and the number of central contracts awarded to them in each of its five categories formed under the new system introduced the other day.

“The Board will not be disclosing how many contracts sit within each track. The number and distribution of contracts is a selection matter, reviewed each cycle and not a fixed public figure,” the PCB stated in a document, given to the media during Monday’s press conference held in Lahore to announce new measures aimed at arresting the decline of Pakistan cricket.

A detailed information about PCB’s new policy on central contracts was also announced during the said presser.

It is pertinent to mention here that since taking office in 2024, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has also halted the publication of the Board’s financial statements on the PCB website — documents that previously detailed expenditures across all departments, including those of the chairman’s office. It is relevant to recall that the PCB last published its financial statements three years ago.

Unfortunately, the stance adopted by the incumbent PCB regime continues a trend of limiting public access to information. Earlier, some ten years ago, the PCB had also discontinued the practice of allowing the media to witness players’ fitness tests, a measure that had served as a form of independent scrutiny of the process.

Now, the PCB has decided not to reveal the number of contracts allocated to each category or the names of players placed in those categories. It will be the first time such information is withheld from both media as well as public.

During Monday’s press conference, Mohsin and senior PCB officials were asked whether players’ fitness assessments could once again be conducted in the presence of media.

Responding to the question, PCB medical officer Dr Javed Mughal said open fitness testing would not be appropriate due to concerns related to safety and security of the players.

The decline in Pakistan cricket has reached alarming levels during Mohsin’s two-and-a-half-year tenure. Critics argue that Monday’s press conference offered little in the way of a fresh roadmap to address the national team’s ongoing struggles in international competitions.

During the briefing, PCB officials said players would have to meet three-pronged criteria to earn selection for the national team: maintain required fitness standards, participate in domestic cricket and deliver consistent performances.

However, these benchmarks ­ — a rational follower of the game can note without any effort — have long been part of the selection process, leading many observers to term the announcement of the new system announced by the PCB as the same old policies being presented in a new package.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2026