LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday assured that the upcoming men’s central contracts will be awarded only to national cricketers participating in domestic cricket.

Speaking during an informal media interaction, Naqvi said that detailed work has been done on the new contract framework and a detailed explanation will be given on Monday after consultation with the players.

The revamped system will feature five divisions, including separate classifications for Test and T20 cricket, while an emerging player category will also be introduced, the PCB chairman said.

Under the proposed structure, Test and ODI cricket will be merged, while T20 players will be kept in a separate category.

Naqvi further stressed that domestic cricket is mandatory for all players who want to get a central contract.

“If a player doesn’t play domestic cricket, he doesn’t get a central contract,” he said.

The PCB chief added that fitness standards, domestic participation and on-field performance will form the basis of contract eligibility, which all players will have to meet.

He also revealed plans to increase match fees as part of the board’s broader efforts to strengthen the domestic and national cricket infrastructure.

Mohsin Naqvi announced that the contract process will be fully computerized to ensure transparency and eliminate any notion of discretion.

“The contract document will be computerized and no one will have any influence over it. No one can say that a player should have been in category A or category B,” he said.

Naqvi said contracts will be awarded strictly on merit and on clearly defined criteria, irrespective of a player’s profile or status, before expressing hope that the proposed reforms would yield long-term benefits and help strengthen Pakistan cricket in the years to come.

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