Pakistan revokes senior cricketers Babar and Rizwan's top-tier contracts, relegating them to a lower category.
Pakistan Cricket Board Demotes Star Players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to Category B
In a surprising move, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has demoted star players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from Category A to Category B in the latest central contracts. This decision comes after a series of poor performances by the two players in the past 12 months.
The Asia Cup, scheduled to take place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi after the tri-series, will be the first major tournament without Azam and Rizwan in the squad. Their demotion is largely due to their recent form issues, exclusion from major tournaments, and the PCB's emphasis on squad depth and future development.
Criticism of their strike rate and ineffectiveness against spin bowling in the T20 format, as noted by the team's head coach Mike Hesson, has also played a significant role in their demotion. Poor performances, particularly in recent ODIs and T20s, have raised concerns among the selectors. Rizwan's low run tally against the West Indies and Pakistan's disappointing showing in the Champions Trophy and World Test Championship have further added to these concerns.
The PCB's strategic move to expand the contracted player pool to 30 and focus on bringing fresh talent through Categories B, C, and D without assigning anyone to Category A this year reflects this restructuring. Other players demoted along with Azam and Rizwan include Salman Agha, Fakhar Zaman, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
The national team's recent performances in all three formats of the game have been poor. Last year, Pakistan crashed out of the Twenty20 World Cup in the first round, and their home Test series against England ended in a 2-1 victory, followed by a 2-0 loss in South Africa and a 1-1 draw at home against a lowly West Indies, finishing 10th and last in the World Test Championship.
The PCB did not provide any reason for the demotion of Azam and Rizwan in their media release. However, both players have reportedly been asked to improve specific aspects of their game to regain their spots and contract status.
In a positive note, Pakistan won their first one-day international series in Australia for 22 years in November. The tri-series, involving Afghanistan and the UAE, starts from August 29 in Sharjah. The PCB announced the central contracts without giving any reason for the demotion of Azam and Rizwan, but the move seems to be a performance-based reassessment aimed at rejuvenating the national team and rewarding emerging players.
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