Mohammad Rizwan declines Pakistan central contract over dispute with PCB: Reports

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has reportedly turned down the central contract offered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the 2025–26 season. According to multiple media reports, Rizwan has refused to sign the agreement until certain conditions he put forward are met.

Sources close to the situation suggest that while the rest of the national players have already signed their contracts, Rizwan has held back, dissatisfied with the terms proposed by the board. The PCB, however, is understood to have rejected his demands, and no immediate resolution appears to be in sight.

The standoff comes just days ahead of Pakistan’s ODI series against South Africa, which begins on November 3. Despite the contract dispute, Rizwan remains part of the 16-member squad named for the series.

The keeper-batter was among 30 players shortlisted for the new central contracts, but the PCB opted not to offer any Category A deals this year. Both Rizwan and Babar Azam, last season’s top-tier players, were demoted to Category B, signalling a reshuffle in the board’s player hierarchy.

The



decision follows a turbulent period for Rizwan, who was recently replaced by Shaheen Shah Afridi as Pakistan’s ODI captain despite having led the team to series victories in Australia and South Africa last year. His absence from Pakistan’s T20I setup since the home series against South Africa in December has further added to speculation about his future role in the national side.

As negotiations between Rizwan and the PCB continue, the standoff could have broader implications for Pakistan’s player-board relations ahead of a busy international schedule.

List of centrally contacted Pakistan men’s cricketers

Category B: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, 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 Sufiyan Muqeem