‘Babar Azam pressure’: Former Pakistan pacer slams PCB over A-category snub

Former Pakistan pacer Tanvir Ahmed has lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the removal of the A-category from the newly announced central contracts for the year 2025–26.

Taking to social media platform X, Tanvir took a jibe at the PCB and claimed that the selection committee had surrendered to the growing influence of star batter Babar Azam.

“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,” Tanvir wrote.

The 46-year-old criticised the selection committee for what he described as a lack of transparency and accountability in handling the central contracts. He even challenged the members to publicly justify their decision.

“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 world of cricket. They don’t even have the courage to demote Babar from A category to B category,” he said.

The former right-arm fast bowler, while highlighting the growing influence of Babar on Pakistan cricket, remarked that the selection committee is struggling to cope with the immense pressure.

“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,” he remarked.

It is pertinent to mention that the PCB announced central contracts for 30 men’s cricketers on Tuesday, with no player included in category A this year.

Unlike previous editions, ten players each have been slotted into categories B, C, and D. 

The pool of contracted players has also been expanded from 27 to 30, with 12 new names earning spots, including Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, and Sufyan Moqim.

Meanwhile, five players — Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan — have been promoted from Category C to B on the back of strong recent performances.

Nine others have retained their positions, including Abdullah Shafique in Category C and Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr in Category D.

The new contracts will remain effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.