Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced 2020-21 contracts for 192 domestic players.

10 players have been awarded the A Plus category out of 192. The players comprise leading performers from the 2019-20 first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and players part of the national squad but without a central or emerging contract.

These players are Bilal Asif (Central Punjab), Fahim Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Imran Butt (Balochistan), Imran Khan Snr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Kashif Bhatti (Balochistan), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sohail Khan (Sindh) and Zafar Gohar (Central Punjab).

Pakistan men’s team head coach and chief selector selected players for the A Plus category. “I want to congratulate the 10 players for securing the newly-introduced A Plus category contracts, which is a reward for their efforts and hard work in the 2019-20 season that either earned them recognition in domestic cricket or places in the Pakistan men’s national team,” he said.
“I accept there will be a few players who will feel hard done but we could only pick a maximum of 10 players in this category. I want to assure every high-performing player that he will remain available for selection in the side and depending on how he performs in the 2020-21 season, will be in line for an increment next year,” he added.

Category A comprises 38 players, including 10 best performers from the last season or the ones who have previously represented Pakistan at the international level.
Category B includes 47 players who have played T20Is, are amongst the top 10 performers of the National T20 Cup (First XI) 2019-20, had a good first-class season in 2019-20, or have represented Pakistan Shaheens/Emerging since 2019.

Category C includes 71 players who either featured in PSL 2019 and 2020, were amongst the performers of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (First and Second XI) 2019-20 performers, top 10 performers of the Pakistan Cup 2018-19, best batsman/bowler of Patron’s Trophy Grade-II 2018-19 or have represented Pakistan in age-group cricket.

Category D boasts all the other 26 players who are part of the six Cricket Association sides.

Director High Performance, Nadeem Khan said he has always believed and emphasized on criteria and performance-based contracts. He further explained the fragmentation of the categories.

“While setting up the criteria, we have also moved from a fixed slab retainer structure to a category-based retainer structure because I think it is fair on leading or experienced players to be treated and paid differently to a beginner or a starter. Furthermore, this is also consistent with how we offer central contracts to our elite cricketers.

“Through this model, we have also ensured we retain and protect our age-group cricketers, who in the past have dropped out either due to non-selection or non-recognition. These eight U19 cricketers who played in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020 and 11 Emerging/Shaheen players will now remain part of the system and will get their opportunities to improve and move in an upward direction.

2020-21 domestic player contract categories with monthly retainers and selection criteria:

A+ Category (10, monthly retainer PKR150,000)

Bilal Asif (Central Punjab), Fahim Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Imran Butt (Balochistan), Imran Khan Snr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Kashif Bhatti (Balochistan), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sohail Khan (Sindh), Zafar Gohar (Central Punjab)

A Category (38, monthly retainer PKR85,000)

Adnan Akmal (Balochistan), Ahmed Shehzad (Central Punjab), Amir Yamin (Southern Punjab), Anwar Ali (Sindh), Ashfaq Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Asif Ali (Northern), Bilawal Bhatti (Southern Punjab), Ehsan Adil (Central Punjab), Faizan Riaz (Northern), Hammad Azam (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Hussain Talat (Southern Punjab), Imran Farhat (Balochistan), Junaid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Kamran Akmal (Central Punjab), Khurram Manzoor (Sindh), Mir Hamza (Sindh), Mohammad Asghar (Sindh), Mohammad Irfan (SLA) (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Talha (Balochistan), Musa Khan (Northern), Rahat Ali (Southern Punjab), Raza Hasan (Northern), Saad Ali (Sindh), Saad Nasim (Central Punjab), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Salman Butt (Central Punjab), Sami Aslam (Balochistan), Sharjeel Khan (Sindh), Sohaib Maqsood (Southern Punjab), Sohail Tanvir (Northern), Tabish Khan (Sindh), Umar Amin (Northern), Umar Gul (Balochistan), Usman Salahuddin (Central Punjab), Waqas Ahmed (Northern) and Zeeshan Malik (Northern)

B Category (47, monthly retainer PKR75,000)

Abdul Rehman Muzammil (Balochistan), Adeel Malik (Sindh), Adil Amin (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Ahmed Jamal (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Ahsan Ali (Sindh), Akbar-ur-Rehman (Balochistan), Akif Javed (Balochistan), Ali Sarfaraz (Northern), Amad Butt (Balochistan), Awais Zia (Balochistan), Azeem Ghumman (Balochistan), Bismillah Khan (Balochistan), Fahad Iqbal (Sindh), Gulraiz Sadaf (Balochistan), Hasan Mohsin (Sindh), Imran Rafiq (Southern Punjab), Israrullah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Jalat Khan (Balochistan), Jamal Anwar (Northern), Khalid Usman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Asad (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Mohsin (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Saad (Central Punjab), Mukhtar Ahmed (Southern Punjab), Nauman Anwar (Central Punjab), Naved Malik (Northern), Naved Yasin (Southern Punjab), Omair Bin Yousaf (Sindh), Rameez Alam (Southern Punjab), Rameez Aziz (Sindh), Rohail Nazir (Northern), Sahibzada Farhan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saif Badar (Southern Punjab), Sameen Gul (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shoaib Ahmed Minhas (Northern), Taimur Ali (Balochistan), Taj Wali (Balochistan), Umaid Asif (Balochistan), Umar Khan (Southern Punjab), Umar Siddiq (Southern Punjab), Umar Waheed (Northern), Usman Qadir (Central Punjab), Waqas Maqsood (Central Punjab), Zahid Mehmood (Southern Punjab), Zain Abbas (Southern Punjab) and Zohaib Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

C Category (71, monthly retainer PKR65,000)

Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Balochistan), Abdullah Shafiq (Central Punjab), Ahmed Bashir (Central Punjab), Ahmed Safi Abdullah (Central Punjab), Akhtar Shah (Balochistan), Ali Imran (Northern), Ali Shafiq (Southern Punjab), Ali Zaryab (Central Punjab), Ammad Alam (Sindh), Anas Mehmood (Central Punjab), Arshad Iqbal (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Asad Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Ashiq Ali (Sindh), Asif Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Azam Khan (Sindh), Bilawal Iqbal (Central Punjab), Danish Aziz (Sindh), Dilbar Hussain (Southern Punjab), Farhan Khan (Central Punjab), Ghulam Mudassar (Sindh), Gohar Faiz (Balochistan), Hayatullah (Balochistan), Imran Dogar (Central Punjab), Irfan Khan Niazi (Central Punjab), Irfanullah Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Jahid Ali (Sindh), Kamran Ghulam (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Khurram Shehzad (Balochistan), Maqbool Ahmed (Southern Punjab), Mehran Ibrahim (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Abbas Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Amir Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Basit (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Haris (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Hasan (Sindh), Mohammad Huraira (Northern), Mohammad Ilyas (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Irfan Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Junaid (Balochistan), Mohammad Mohsin Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Naeem Snr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Taha (Sindh), Mohammad Umair (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Muhammad Akhlaq (Central Punjab), Muhammad Imran (Southern Punjab), Munir Riaz (Northern), Musadiq Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Nabi Gul (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Nasir Nawaz (Northern), Qasim Akram (Central Punjab), Rehan Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Rizwan Hussain (Central Punjab), Saad Khan (Sindh), Saifullah Bangash (Sindh), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab), Salman Irshad (Northern), Sarmad Bhatti (Northern), Shehzad Tareen (Balochistan), Shehzar Mohammad (Sindh), Shiraz Khan (Northern), Sohail Akhtar (Northern), Suleman Shafqat (Central Punjab), Taimur Khan (Balochistan), Tayyab Tahir (Southern Punjab), Umair Masood (Northern), Usama Mir (Balochistan), Waleed Ahmed (Sindh), Zaid Alam (Northern), Zeeshan Ashraf (Southern Punjab) and Zia-ul-Haq (Southern Punjab)

D Category (26, monthly retainer PKR40,000)

Ahsan Baig (Southern Punjab), Ali Usman (Southern Punjab), Anas Mustafa (Southern Punjab), Athar Mehmood (Northern), Atizaz Habib Khan (Central Punjab), Fahad Usman (Central Punjab), Hidayatullah (Balochistan), Ismail Khan (Northern), Mohammad Ali (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rameez Jnr (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Sarwar Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Suleman (Sindh), Mohammad Tariq Khan (Sindh), Mohammad Umar (Sindh), Najeebullah Achakzai (Balochistan), Nihal Mansoor (Northern), Nisar Ahmed (Central Punjab), Rameez Raja Jnr (Quetta, Balochistan), Samiullah Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saqib Jamil (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shadab Majeed (Northern), Shahid Nawaz (Central Punjab), Shahnawaz (Sindh), Shehbaz Khan (Balochistan), Waqar Hussain (Southern Punjab) and Ziad Khan (Northern).