Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Director of High Performance Aaqib Javed has said that the board currently has no cricketer worthy of the top tier and will not hand out an ‘A category’ contract just to fill the slot.
Speaking during a recent podcast, Aaqib explained why the category was scrapped in the first place.
“I joined Pakistan cricket two years ago in October. We worked on the category system and ended A category because performances weren’t coming through like that,” he said, adding that they could not pick someone in A category just for the sake of it.
The chief selector went on to discuss Pakistan’s broader cricketing challenges. On home form, he said, “We had forgotten how to win at home. Because of my formula, Pakistan has won four Tests.”
He also said franchise leagues have hurt Pakistan cricket more than anything else, pointing to the recent Champions Trophy exit as a major setback. “Pakistan cricket has been affected the most because of leagues. Failure in the Champions Trophy proved to be a big blow.”
Breaking down the workload, Aaqib said the packed calendar leaves little room for red-ball cricket. “Throughout the year, five to six Test matches, eight to ten ODIs and more than thirty-five T20s are being played. After that, a player participates in three leagues, which adds up to 40 matches.”
He warned that a schedule built entirely around T20 leagues threatens the long-term health of the national team. “If a person plays 90 T20 matches all year and doesn’t play a single first-class match, where will your cricket shift after two years? If you aren’t playing red ball cricket at all, how will your performance improve?”
The former fast bowler also pointed to a wider problem facing Test cricket. “If you ask someone, they say we have no use for playing Test cricket. Look at what’s happening with West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia. Their condition is such that they don’t have a fast bowler after the third one,” he said.
Aaqib’s comments come as the PCB rolls out a major overhaul of its central contracts structure for the 2026-27 season. The board has scrapped the old category system in favour of five new format-based tracks, separating players by discipline rather than grouping them under a single tier regardless of which formats they play.
Under the new structure, players in the top tier of Track A, which covers Test specialists, will earn PKR 4 million per month, while those in the second tier will receive PKR 3.6 million.
Track AB, covering Test and ODI players, offers PKR 4.8 million for tier one and PKR 3.8 million for tier two. Track BC players will earn PKR 3.4 million and PKR 2.6 million, respectively, while T20 specialists in the top tier take home PKR 2.6 million, with the second tier earning PKR 2 million per month. Pathway cricketers in Track D will receive PKR 1 million per month.
Eligibility criteria also shift under the new framework as a player must have featured in six first-class matches to qualify for a Test category central contract. The Test and ODI category requires four first-class and four List A appearances. ODI and T20 category players must play two List A matches and 10 T20s, while those contracted purely for T20 cricket must participate in domestic T20 competitions and can also play franchise cricket.
