LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday will not disclose the categories of national cricketers in the framework of the revised central contracts that will undergo a major change.
The cricket board confirmed in a statement earlier this week that it will move away from the traditional category-based grading system of A, B, C and D contracts to a format-specific model built around five distinct player tracks.
As per the newly introduced structure, Track AB will have players capable of performing in both Test and ODI cricket, Track A will be reserved for red-ball specialists, while Track BC will cover ODIs and T20 internationals.
Also, Track C has been introduced for T20 professionals and franchise-focused players, whereas Track D is a development track affiliated with the National Cricket Academy system.
However, unlike the usual practice, in the upcoming central contracts, the cricket board will not disclose which category the player has been slotted in as this distribution is a matter of choice and not a fixed public figure, which will be reviewed every cycle, according to a document.
“The board does not disclose how many contracts are in each track. The number and distribution of contracts is a discretionary matter, reviewed each cycle, and not a fixed public figure,” read a paragraph in the document.
Meanwhile, according to insiders, as per the cricket board’s decision to make domestic cricket mandatory, the centrally contracted players will have to play a limited number of first-class, List-A and T20 matches depending on their respective tracks.
Sources further revealed that the PCB has informed the players about the expected number of domestic matches, which are five first-class and 10 List-A matches.
As a result, the centrally contracted players have been advised to stick to domestic cricket when there is no international assignment, insiders added.
Notably, even if the format-specific model is implemented, centrally contracted players will be eligible for all three formats, so that a cricketer from any track can be included in the squad if required.
Sohail Imran
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