The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday granted central contracts for both red and white balls to five cricketers from Pakistan, including all-format captain Babar Azam.
In both the test and shorter versions of the game, the PCB has for the first time introduced separate central contracts that will take effect on Friday and last for the following 12 months.
Other players who received contracts for both red-ball and white-ball cricket include opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali, and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.