&w=3840&q=100)
Babar, Rizwan downgraded as PCB finds no player fit for top contract
The contracts, effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, include 30 players divided equally across Categories B, C, and D. 'This year's roster sees ten players each placed in Categories B, C, and D. Notably, no player has been selected for Category A in this cycle,' the PCB confirmed in its statement. The board, however, did not disclose the valuation of these contracts.
Babar and Rizwan punished for poor returns
The demotions of Babar and Rizwan — once considered the bedrock of Pakistan's batting — stem from their repeated failures in high-stakes competitions. Their lacklustre showings in the 2024 T20 World Cup, the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, and bilateral series against Bangladesh and the West Indies have seemingly tested the board's patience.
Winners from the shuffle
While Babar and Rizwan have been pushed down, T20 skipper Salman Ali Agha has earned a promotion from Category C to B. Explosive opener Saim Ayub and pacer Haris Rauf have also moved up the ladder, marking their growing stature in Pakistan cricket.
Compared to last year's 27 contracted players, the PCB has expanded the pool to 30, bringing in 12 new faces. These include 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.
Who retained their spots?
Nine players held on to their existing categories. Among them are Abdullah Shafique (C), Shaheen Shah Afridi (B), Naseem Shah (C), and all-rounder Mohammad Wasim Jnr (D). Others like Saud Shakeel, Sajid Khan, and Noman Ali also maintained their places in Category C.
Who missed out altogether?
Eight players were left out of the central contracts this year, including Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan. All of them were previously in Category D.
The bigger picture
By leaving Category A empty, the PCB has sent a strong message: performance in global events and consistency across formats will outweigh past reputation. For Babar and Rizwan, this serves as both a warning and an opportunity — the path back to the top tier will depend solely on their ability to deliver under pressure.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Standard
4 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Rohit, Virat spark retirement rumours as ICC removes them from ODI rankings
In a bizarre move on Wednesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) removed the star Indian duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the latest ODI rankings, sparking rumours of their retirement from the 50-over format. The duo last played an ODI match in February against New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Before the removal, Rohit was ranked second in the ODI batters' list behind Shubman Gill, while Virat Kohli was ranked fourth. Earlier, Rohit and Virat had both announced their T20I retirement after a successful 2024 T20 World Cup campaign and their Test retirement after a dismal tour of Australia during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Despite ranking in the top five of the ICC ODI rankings till Tuesday, Rohit and Virat are not even in the top 100 of the ICC ODI batters' rankings, confirming their removal altogether from the list. In the latest update after their disappearance, Shubman Gill continues to keep his top spot intact, while Babar Azam has jumped to the second position. New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell and Sri Lanka's Charith Asalanka are now ranked third and fourth in the list. Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis and Australia's Travis Head have found themselves back in the top 10 of the ODI batters' rankings after two vacant spots were left behind by the Indian starlets. ICC ODI batters' rankings (Men) Position Player Country Rating 1 Shubman Gill India 784 2 Babar Azam Pakistan 739 3 Daryl Mitchell New Zealand 720 4 Charith Asalanka Sri Lanka 719 5 Harry Tector Ireland 708 6 Shreyas Iyer India 704 7 Shai Hope West Indies 699 8 Ibrahim Zadran Afghanistan 676 9 Kusal Mendis Sri Lanka 669 10 Travis Head Australia 648 11 Rassie van der Dussen South Africa 642 11 Keacy Carty West Indies 642 13 KL Rahul India 638 14 Quinton de Kock South Africa 634
NDTV
19 minutes ago
- NDTV
Sunil Gavaskar Names His India XI For Asia Cup, Makes Bold Sanju Samson Call
India great Sunil Gavaskar made some bold selection calls as he named his India XI for the Asia Cup 2025. The return of Shubman Gill has made things quite tricky, as far as the top-order is concerned. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson had formed a formidable opening pair in T20Is of late but it looks like Gill's return will force the management to break that partnership. Some feel that Gill's inclusion would see Samson warm the bench. But, Gavaskar doesn't think so. In a chat with Sports Today, Gavaskar said that Samson and Gill can co-exist in the same XI, with the former taking up a middle-order role in the team. "He can still be in the team as somebody batting down the order. He can bat at 5 or 6. He shouldn't be left out, after all he's the wicket-keeper. Sanju is a very gifted player; he can adapt," said Gavaskar. "He is used to batting down the order, we shouldn't be too worried about him, he's a class act." "Your first choice XI and your batting order will depend on a lot of things, like what the pitch is like, who the opposition is, what their bowling attack is. The two certainties would be Abhishek and Shubman Gill, the two Punjab boys opening the batting together, that would be my opening pair. 3 and 4 would be Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav," said Gavaskar "Depending on what the score is or what you need, you either put Hardik Pandya a little bit ahead, or Sanju Samson goes in to bat, there is also somebody like Axar Patel who can come in and bat, how well he batted in the final of the T20 World Cup in Barbados. That would be the way to go," said Gavaskar In the bowling unit, Gavaskar doesn't think Harshit Rana will make the XI, preferring the pairing of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. Rinku Singh, it's tough for them but that's what it is."
India Today
19 minutes ago
- India Today
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli disappear from ICC ODI rankings
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of India's biggest ODI stars, disappeared from the ICC rankings on Wednesday, August 20. The Indian duo, who are not a part of the T20 and Test formats, were seemingly removed from the ICC ODI development comes only a week after Rohit moved up to the 2nd spot in the ODI rankings. Kohli, on the other hand, was placed in the 4th spot, with 736 points to his name. Shubman Gill led the ODI charts, retaining his position as the top batter in the format with 756 updated rankings, which now has Babar Azam at No.2, has likely suffered a glitch in the system. Sharma and Kohli, as of August 20, 2025, are still active in the ODI format. ICC ODI rankings on August 20, 2025 Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli last played in the ODI format in February, 2025, where they played the Champions Trophy in the UAE. Rohit played a sensational innings in the final of the tournament, guiding India to their first ICC ODI trophy in a on the other hand, was sensational in the group stages of the tournament, anchoring the Indian team in tricky conditions of the Dubai International Stadium, where teams like New Zealand and Australia gave the Men in Blue a run for their ODI RANKINGS - BATTING (AUGUST 13)Shubman Gill – India – 784Rohit Sharma – India – 756Babar Azam – Pakistan – 751Virat Kohli – India – 736Daryl Mitchell – New Zealand – 720Charith Asalanka – Sri Lanka – 719Harry Tector – Ireland – 708Shreyas Iyer – India – 704Ibrahim Zadran – Afghanistan – 676Kusal Mendis – Sri Lanka – 669As per the rankings released on August 20, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are the only Indians to feature inside the top 10 in the ODI batter rankings.- EndsTune InMust Watch
