The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has responded to rumors about leadership changes in the national team. Recent reports suggested Shan Masood would be removed as Test captain, with Saud Shakeel as a possible replacement. There were also whispers that Mohammad Rizwan might lose his ODI captaincy, potentially being succeeded by Salman Ali Agha, particularly after Rizwan wasn’t picked for the Asia Cup 2025 squad.
However, the PCB has dismissed these reports as untrue. According to Geo Super, the board stated that no decisions have been made regarding changes to the Test or ODI captaincy. PCB sources denied that there have been any discussions about replacing Shan Masood with Saud Shakeel.
In related news, Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan were moved down to category ‘B’ in the PCB’s latest central contracts. Surprisingly, the board didn’t place any players in the top ‘A’ category. Instead, 30 players were divided among categories ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’.
The PCB issued a statement confirming the new contracts, which are set to run from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. The board emphasized its dedication to recognizing and supporting Pakistani cricket talent. This year, ten players are in each of the ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’ categories, with no one in the ‘A’ category. The statement didn’t specify the monetary value of the contracts.
Babar and Rizwan’s downgrade comes after their performance in big tournaments such as the T20 World Cup last year, this year’s ICC Champions Trophy, and series against Bangladesh and the West Indies.
On a brighter note, T20 captain Salman Ali Agha was moved up from category C to B. Opener Saim Ayub and fast bowler Haris Rauf also received promotions.
The PCB has increased the number of contracted players from 27 last year to 30 this year, with 12 new players joining the list. These new additions 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. Furthermore, nine players have kept their spots in the same categories as before.