The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a delay in offering central contracts to its cricketers, due to recent changes in the organization's hierarchy. Initial discussions regarding the central contracts took place earlier this month between the team management and selection committee. However, the matter has been put on hold until after the upcoming election of the PCB Chairman on June 27. The sources indicate that once the new chairman, likely to be Zaka Ashraf, is appointed, personnel and policies within the PCB are expected to undergo modifications. These changes may also extend to the structure of the central contracts, with a potential 25 percent increase in retainers.

Insiders have revealed that significant alterations are anticipated in the central contracts, including promotions and demotions for several players. Additionally, the PCB is deliberating whether to continue awarding separate contracts based on white-ball and red-ball cricket. As a result of retirement, veteran batter Azhar Ali will be excluded from the list of centrally contracted players. Similarly, Fawad Alam, Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali, Khushdil Shah, Usman Qadir, and Zahid Mehmood are likely to lose their central contracts.

On the other hand, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Ehsanullah, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan are potential additions to the centrally contracted players' list. The sources have also revealed that pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah could receive promotions when the new list of centrally contracted players is announced. The current central contracts for cricketers are set to expire on June 30. 

PCB MEN'S CENTRAL CONTRACTS LIST FOR 2022-23

RED AND WHITE-BALL CONTRACTS (5):

Category A: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Red-ball Category B, White-ball Category C: Hasan Ali

Red-ball Category C, White-ball Category B: Imam-ul-Haq

RED BALL CONTRACTS (10):

Category A: Azhar Ali

Category B: Fawad Alam

Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali

Category D: Abid Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah

WHITE-BALL CONTRACTS (11):

Category A: Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan

Category B: Haris Rauf

Category C: Mohammad Nawaz

Category D: Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Zahid Mehmood

EMERGING CONTRACTS (7):

Ali Usman, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, Qasim Akram, Salman Ali Agha.