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The press conference held on Monday regarding the upcoming central contract system of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sparked wide debate among the cricket fans and cricket experts of Pakistan. As the board has made it clear that important information about each player’s contract will not be disclosed, questions have been raised.
Former Pakistan cricketer Tanveer Ahmed fears a conspiracy against his legendary batsman Babar Azam in the name of reform. The former international cricketer claims that the Mohsin Naqvi-led cricket board is arranging a new central contract system for players only to sideline Babar Azam.
PCB announces changes to its central contracting system
Since Naqvi and other PCB officials announced it publicly through press conferences, Tanveer Ahmed has also been vocal who is completely against the PCB’s newly-conceived central contract system.
What did the Board announce regarding the central contract? The board has made it clear that from the upcoming cycle of the contract season, the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided not to disclose the names of players and the number of central contracts given to them in each of its five categories under the new system.
“The board will not disclose how many contracts there are in each track. The number and distribution of contracts is a selection matter, reviewed each cycle and there is no fixed public figure,” the PCB said in its official statement during a press conference held in Lahore on Monday.
Are all efforts only to remove Babar Azam from T20I?
Expressing his anger at the board, Tanveer Ahmed said that the only reason behind PCB’s new contract system is to drop Babar Azam from the T20 International team. Through online discussion, the former cricketer claims that the board is trying to drop Babar Azam from the team, but they could not do so.
Under the leadership of Babar, Peshawar Zalmi won the title in Pakistan Super League 2026 (PSL 2026). Babar himself finished the season as the top run scorer with 588 runs in 11 matches at an average of 73.50.
Tanvir Ahmed alleged that PCB needs to come up with new ideas after Babar’s success in PSL 2026 and the newly introduced central contract system is a part of their plan.
Tanveer Ahmed claims, “The only reason for creating the central contract was to drop Babar Azam from T20 as they could not think of any other way to remove him. Even in the PSL he has been a top performer, yet the entire contract was changed because of just one player.”
– Tanveer Ahmed questions the PCB’s central contracts, suggesting it may be aimed at sidelining Babar Azam from T20s in favor of younger players. pic.twitter.com/uTA6ZYUBs6
– Mir Za⁵⁶ (@Mirza143146) June 16, 2026
The 2026 T20 World Cup was one of the lowest points in Babar’s career
Meanwhile, Babar Azam’s last match for Pakistan was an ODI against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on June 4, 2026. In this match he batted and scored 40 runs.
His last T20 match for the country was against England during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eight stage at Pallekele on February 24, 2026. In this match, the middle order batsman scored 25 runs in 24 balls. This tournament was one of the lows of his international career, as he was not allowed to bat when the team needed to score runs at a fast pace.
