Tanvir Ahmed Says PCB Got Scared of Babar Azam

Former Pakistan fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed has strongly criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the board decided to remove the A-category from the newly announced central contracts for the 2025–26 season.

Taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Tanvir openly expressed his disappointment and accused the PCB of bowing down to the influence of star batter Babar Azam. According to him, the decision to remove the A-category was not based on merit but was made under pressure.

He wrote: “Haha, the central contract was announced — the A category has been removed just because of the KING. This is what you call Babar Azam pressure — the selection committee got scared.”

The 46-year-old former cricketer further lashed out at the selection committee, saying it lacked transparency and accountability in dealing with such an important matter. He even went as far as to challenge the committee members to appear before the media and justify their move.

“I challenge the selection committee to come before the media and explain why the A category was removed from the central contract. Today, this has become yet another joke in the cricketing world. They don’t even have the courage to demote Babar from A category to B category,” Tanvir said.

While pointing out the growing dominance of Babar Azam in Pakistan cricket, Tanvir added that the PCB and the selection committee were struggling to handle the immense influence of the star player. He remarked: “Right now, the selection committee is under so much pressure because of Babar Azam. If Babar decides to retire from T20s, there will be an uproar across Pakistan.”

Details of the New Central Contracts

The PCB announced the central contracts for 30 men’s players on Tuesday. However, for the first time in recent years, the A-category has been completely removed, meaning no player is placed in the top tier.

Instead, the new system distributes players into categories B, C, and D, with 10 players in each group. This marks a change from previous contracts, where the top-performing players were usually rewarded with an A-category spot, which included the highest salaries and perks.

The PCB also expanded the pool of players this year, increasing the number from 27 to 30. Out of these, 12 new names have been added to the list, including:

• Ahmed Daniyal
• Faheem Ashraf
• Hasan Ali
• Hasan Nawaz
• Hussain Talat
• Khushdil Shah
• Mohammad Abbas
• Mohammad Haris
• Mohammad Nawaz
• Sahibzada Farhan
• Salman Mirza
• Sufyan Moqim

At the same time, some players have been promoted based on their recent performances. These include Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan, who all moved from Category C to Category B.

A few others retained their categories. For instance, Abdullah Shafique stayed in Category C, while Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr continued in Category D.

According to the PCB, these contracts will remain in effect from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

READ MORE: PCB Central Contracts 2025–26: Babar Azam and Rizwan Dropped from Category A