PCB announces major reforms to the Central Contract for the 2025/26 season

What is the ICC clause in PCB central contracts?

The ICC clause that allows players from Pakistan to earn 3% of the PCB earnings from the international board is one of its kind. A clause of this kind might not be heard of in any other country. So why was such a clause brought in the first place? A couple of years ago, some of the senior players in the Pakistan cricket team persuaded the PCB chief at that time to increase their salaries by sharing the ICC revenue. 

PCB to cut salaries of contracted players

Looking at the recent performance of the Pakistan team across formats, some of the players are struggling to make a mark for themselves in spite of holding exorbitant contracts with the cricket board. 

There are four different categories of central contracts for players with the PCB. Players in category A would lose around 2.07 million PKR if the clause is revoked. For players in category B, they would be losing around 1.5525 million PKR. The players in Categories C and D would lose 1.035 million and 517,500 from their share if PCB indeed decides to remove the clause from the contract. The PCB is expected to announce the central contract for men's cricketers before the Asia Cup begins. The repercussions of this move could prove to be harmful for the players and the team. Given the state the Pakistan cricket team finds itself in, a demotivated bunch of players is not the best thing the team would want right now.

Star players struggle across formats

It is not an unknown fact anymore that the Pakistan team is possibly in its worst phase of the 21st century. The men in green have been on the receiving end of horrific losses and poor campaigns in recent times. Starting from the ODI World Cup in 2023, where they failed to proceed to the knockout stage. In the T20 World Cup in 2024, when they were expected to cruise past the group stage to the Super Eight, they ended up losing to the United States of America. In 2025, while hosting the Champions Trophy, Pakistan could not manage to make it past the group stage and could not manage a single win in the tournament. They lost to India and New Zealand, while their clash against Bangladesh was washed out. 

Even though there are multiple issues with their board and coaching setup in recent years, the performance of some star players is enough of a parameter to judge why they have lost so many games in recent times.

Babar Azam

Babar Azam in the year 2025 has scored only 518 runs in 17 innings, averaging a measly 30.47. It has been 72 innings since the former Pakistani skipper scored a century in international cricket. His last century came during the 2023 Asia Cup against Nepal. It was also the last time he was named the Player of the Match in international cricket. Many established batters have gone through droughts of centuries. However, having not won a single POTM across 72 innings is something that shows how Babar has not created enough impact for his team. His batting in the recently concluded ODI series against the West Indies showed glaring issues with his technique, which was exploited by the hosts’ pacers. 

Mohammad Rizwan

Unlike Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan has scored a century as recently as February 2025, right before the Champions Trophy. The wicketkeeper batter averages 37.18 across formats in 2025; however, his strike rate has been an issue. He was the captain of the side when Pakistan lost their first ODI series against the West Indies in 34 years. In the three-match series, Rizwan scored 69 runs, including a golden duck in the series decider. His strike rate was only 63.88, which meant that even though he remained on the crease, the opposition was happy to bowl at him. The low strike rate from him has meant that he has been removed from the T20I setup as well along with a couple of other key players.

Shaheen Afridi

On the bowling front, for a long time, Shaheen Afridi has been considered to be the leader of the pace attack. But even his form has dwindled in the last few years, and 2025 has been atrocious for the left-arm pacer. Having played 13 white-ball games in the season, Afridi has managed only 16 wickets at an average of 38.62. During these games, he has managed to bowl only a solitary maiden over in a T20I in New Zealand. In the three ICC tournaments where Pakistan’s performance remained below par, Shaheen was toothless with the new ball. 

Salman Agha

Salman Agha, having been named the captain of the T20I team too, has not impressed with his performance in the shortest format. It was under his leadership that Pakistan lost a T20I series against Bangladesh. He made his debut in 2024 and has been unable to set the stage on fire since then. In 14 innings, the right-handed batter has scored only 380 runs at an average of 27.14. His strike rate of 115.85, too, has not much to write home about, given that he bats in the middle order.  

Apart from these players, even the new guys coming in from the domestic circuit and the Pakistan Super League have also failed to impress and make a mark on the international circuit. If these players continue to perform at a similar level, it can be pretty tough for Pakistan to make an impact on the international stage in the near future.

PCB announced a hike in Women’s contracts

While the Pakistan cricket board is considering bringing in reforms that could decrease the salaries of the men’s players, they recently announced a 50% hike in their women’s salaries. Players under all four retainers, A, B, C, and D, earned a 50% hike in their salaries. Meanwhile, PCB also launched a new fifth-tier Category E for the emerging players. Eyman Fatima and Shawaal Zulfiqar were the first players to be named in this category.