Rizwan earns top tier central contract

Pakistan wicket-keeper/batsman Mohammad Rizwan has been promoted to Category 'A' of the PCB Central Contract List with middle-order batsman Fawad Alam being awarded Category 'C' following their stellar performances during the ongoing season.

Rizwan was earlier in Category 'B' but now joins the elite category which also comprises Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam, batsman Azhar Ali and paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi.

"Since the current central contracts were announced on 13 May 2020, Rizwan is Pakistan's leading run-scorer in Tests with 529 runs in seven matches at an average of 52.90, while he is overall the third leading runscorer in T20Is with 325 runs at an average of 65 and strike-rate of just under 139. In the three ODIs against Zimbabwe, he scored 25 runs," a Pakistan Cricket Board press release said on Wednesday. "Behind the wickets, Rizwan has accounted for 16 batsmen in Tests, three in ODIs and eight in T20Is in the season during which Pakistan played international cricket against England, Zimbabwe, New Zealand and South Africa.

Fawad scored centuries against New Zealand and South Africa, and has now aggregated 320 runs in 11 innings of six Tests. His 102 against New Zealand in the Boxing Day Test earned him the PCB Individual Performance of 2020 award.

"As part of its policy to acknowledge, incentivise and reward high-performing cricketers, the PCB has also elevated Fawad Alam from A+ domestic contract category to Category 'C' of the PCB Central Contract List 2020-21," the PCB stated. The PCB added that it also offered a Category 'C' contract Mohammad Hafeez but the Twenrty20 specialist "politely turned it down", asking he will wait till the Board announces its next central contract for 2021-22.