Former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad has said that star cricketers are returning to domestic cricket not by choice but because their central contracts now depend on it.
Top Pakistani cricketers, including Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman and Salman Ali Agha, have all featured in the ongoing President’s Trophy matches after staying away from first-class cricket for years. Red-ball captain Babar Azam is also set to join the tournament in the next round of matches.
Speaking during an interview with a private news channel, Ahmed pushed back at the idea that this return marked a positive shift for Pakistan cricket.
He said the players had returned to first-class cricket only because they did not have any real choice in the matter.
“Remember, Abdullah [host], they’re not going by choice. It’s written into their contracts that they have to play a certain number of games to be able to get the central contract, for some it’s three, for some it’s five,” he said.
Ahmed explained that the requirement did not exist before and that criticism from former players and journalists had built up over several years before the PCB acted.
It is worth noting that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) overhauled its central contract system for the 2026-27 season, moving away from the traditional A, B, C and D grading structure to a five-track, format-based model.
Under the new rules, players must clear a medical and fitness assessment, maintain a set level of domestic cricket participation, and reach a minimum performance score to qualify for a contract.
Only players who have featured in at least four Tests, six ODIs or six T20Is in the preceding 12 months are eligible for the four senior tracks, a requirement that does not apply to Track D, reserved for emerging cricketers.
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi has also said that players who do not compete in first-class cricket will not receive central contracts under the new policy.
During the interview, Ahmed also raised concerns about the quality of the pitches being used in the ongoing domestic season, arguing they are too flat to expose or fix technical flaws in batters.
“If international standards aren’t being followed at any of the four centres, if mountains of runs are being scored, then the whole point of bringing everyone into domestic cricket was so we’d learn something, improve, and move forward,” he said.
Ahmed added pitches that offer bowlers assistance, similar to those once found in Sialkot and parts of the Pindi region, were needed to prepare batters for the conditions they face internationally.
