PCB announces women's central contracts

Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday announced central contract of women players, dropping Aliya Riaz and Nida Dar and six others from the list.

The board has announced its list of central contracts for 16 women’s cricketers for the 2024-25 international season, effective from 1 July 2024, following an annual performance review. Last year, 20 players had received contracts for a two-year period, with the provision that performance would be reassessed after the 2023-24 season.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana and wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali have been elevated to Category A, while left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal has moved up to Category B, reflecting their recent performances and growing stature in the game.

The list includes three new entrants: Gull Feroza, Rameen Shamim, and Tasmia Rubab. Tasmia has earned the contract for the first time, marking an important milestone in her career, while Rameen and Gull have returned to the central contract list for the first time since 2018 and 2022-23, respectively.

The contracts of Aliya Riaz, Anosha Nasir, Eyman Fatima, Nida Dar, Shawaal Zulfiqar and Sidra Nawaz have not been renewed for the upcoming season. However, these players will remain available for selection, as the PCB shifts its focus towards developing the next generation of cricketers in alignment with the ICC Women’s Future Tours Programme 2025-29.

List of centrally contracted players:

Category A – Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali and Sidra Amin

Category B – Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal

Category C – Diana Baig, Omaima Sohail

Category D – Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani