Mohammad Rizwan has reportedly turned down the central contract offered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). According to various reports in the Pakistani media, the wicketkeeper-batsman, who was recently relieved of his duties as Pakistan’s ODI captain, has requested the board to address certain demands before he commits to the 2025–26 central contract.
Sources familiar with the situation disclosed that while all other players have signed their contracts, Rizwan has hesitated, purportedly due to a few conditions he presented to the PCB. The board, however, has not acquiesced to his requests, and the likelihood of them being accepted in the near future seems slim.
This development arises just days ahead of Pakistan’s ODI series against South Africa, set to commence on November 3. Despite the ongoing impasse, Rizwan has been included in Pakistan’s 16-member squad for the series.
Rizwan was part of the 30 players shortlisted for the new central contracts. Nevertheless, the PCB opted not to confer any player with a Category A contract this year. Both Rizwan and Babar Azam — who were previously in Category A — were demoted to Category B, indicating a notable shift in the board’s hierarchy.
This decision follows the PCB’s choice to replace Rizwan with Shaheen Shah Afridi as ODI captain, despite Rizwan leading Pakistan to series victories in Australia and South Africa last year. Furthermore, Rizwan has faced challenges as he has not been featured in Pakistan’s T20I setup since the home series against South Africa last December.
List of centrally contracted Pakistan men’s cricketers:
Category B: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan, and Saud Shakeel.
Category D: Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood, and Sufiyan Muqeem.