PCB announces players for central contract of 2019-20 season

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced the list of players for the central contract for the season 2019-20, during which the men's cricket team will play six World Test Championship Tests, three ODIs and nine T20Is.

While finalising the list of central contracts, which will run from August 1 to June 30, 2020, players' performances and fitness in the past 12 months and the formats they are likely to represent Pakistan in the upcoming season were taken into consideration.

Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik have not been offered contracts but they will remain available for selection.

The list has been trimmed from 33 to 19 and the players who have been awarded central contracts are:

Category A - Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Yasir Shah.

Category B - Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Abbas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Wahab Riaz.

Category C - Abid Ali, Hasan Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood and Usman Shinwari.

PCB Managing Director, Wasim Khan congratulated players who were offered the central contract for the season 2019-20.

"I want to congratulate all those who have been offered central contracts for the next season. We have significantly increased the financial value of the 2019-20 retainers across each category. This is over and above what had been agreed in the current agreement, which is due to run until 2021," Khan said in a press release.

"The PCB have set high standards and targets in its strategic plan for the upcoming season. We want to attach a high value to receiving a central contract. We have complete faith and confidence that these players will set-up and produce on-field performances that will help us collectively achieve our objectives and targets," Khan added.