Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan hit with shocking PCB demotion after Asia Cup snub fallout

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were demoted from PCB Category A to B days after Asia Cup snub, highlighting new talent and squad reshuffle.

Just days after being snubbed for the Asia Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) struck again, demoting senior batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Both were dropped from Category A to Category B as the PCB announced Pakistan's men's central contract list for 2025/26.

Pakistan's Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were not picked in the Asia Cup squad (AP)

In June last year, Babar and Rizwan had been key members of the Pakistan T20I setup, with Babar reinstated as captain for the World Cup in the USA and West Indies. However, both were overlooked for the two T20I series Pakistan played this year—against Bangladesh and the West Indies—before being excluded from the upcoming Asia Cup.

Days later, both were moved to Category B in the contract list, which the PCB announced on Tuesday for the period until June 30, 2026. Notably, no player was selected for Category A in this cycle.

Compared to last year’s 27-player list, the PCB expanded the pool to 30, including 12 new additions, highlighting the emergence of fresh talent and the Board’s focus on squad depth and future development.

The new entrants 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. Five players—Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan—were promoted from Category C to B due to their performances last year.

Nine players retained their previous category positions: Abdullah Shafique (C), Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr (D), Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel (C), and Shaheen Shah Afridi (B).

Eight players missed out on contracts this year: Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan (all Category D).

Centrally contracted players 2025/26:

Category B (10): Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi

Category C (10): Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel

Category D (10): Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood, Sufyan Moqim