As per a report in Pakistani publication GeoSuper, one of the batting mainstays, Mohammad Rizwan has refused to sign the latest central contract, among a list of 30 cricketers. The cricketer has been out of the T20I side for some time now, and it seems, the snub has caused the hurt.
Rizwan refuses to sign contract
The report further suggests that Rizwan had a few conditions, and would only sign after they are met. As per the new contract, the keeper-batter was included in category B, which also features their star player Babar Azam. What is even more surprising is, no player on the roster features in category A.
All this coincides with the fact that Mohammad Rizwan has been axed from ODI captaincy as well, with Shaheen Shah Afridi set to lead in the SA ODIs. In 20 matches as a leader, he won 9 matches and lost 11 with a win% of 45. Interestingly, he had taken over from Babar Azam only in October 2024.
The report further suggested, that there was no possibility of Rizwan’s demands being met, which makes the entire situation even more critical for the Pakistani team. They have been struggling to get wins under their belt, and with seasoned players not around, the team is at the risk of sinking even further.
Full list of central contracts 2025-26
Category B: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan and Saud Shakeel.
Category D: Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood and Sufyan Moqim.
