A total of 360 cricketers, from 18 regional teams, are going to be offered PCB domestic contracts for the 2023-24 season in Pakistan, nearly double the number of contracts they had offered over the last few seasons. Twenty of the players will be offered the A+ category, and the remaining 340 in categories A to F. The names of the players have not been announced yet.

“Through this initiative, the PCB is cultivating a brighter future for domestic cricketers, enabling them to focus wholeheartedly on their game and raising the overall standard of our cricket,” Junaid Zia, director of domestic cricket operations at PCB, said in a statement.

Although the value of retainers offered has not increased, the larger pool of cricketers being offered them is a course change from the last few editions of the Quaid-e-Azam (QeA) trophy; those editions featured only six provincial teams.

Category A+ retainers are worth PKR 300,000 and will be made up of the top four batters and five bowlers from the last three seasons – 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 – of the QeA trophy along with 11 other players recommended by the PCB’s central contract committee.

The PCB’s criteria for the remaining categories are as follows:

Category A (30 players) – PKR 200,000: The top four batters and the top four bowlers (two fast bowlers and two spinners) at the Pakistan Cup (List A) for the last three seasons; the top two batters and two bowlers (two fast bowlers and two spinners) of the National T20 for the last three seasons; top two batters and top two bowlers (two fast bowlers and two spinners) and the top allrounder below those in Category A+ of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for the last three seasons; Test players who are part of current regional squads.

Category B (30 players) – PKR 185,000: International players who are part of the current regional squads; the top three batters in terms of runs, top two fast bowlers in terms of wickets, top two spinners in terms of wickets and top two allrounders of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 (who are not in A+ or A); top five batters in terms of runs, top three fast bowlers in terms of wickets, top two spinners in terms of wickets and top two allrounders of Pakistan Cup 2022-23 (who are not in A+ or A); top five batters in terms of runs, top three fast bowlers in terms of wickets, top two spinners in terms of wickets and top two allrounders of National T2o 2022-23 (who are not in A+ or A).

Category C (30 players) – PKR 170,000: Players who have played 50 or more first-class matches (but are not in the earlier categories); players who have represented Pakistan Shaheens/Emerging since 2022 (but are not in the earlier categories); players who have been a part of Pakistan squad within last one year (but are not in the earlier categories); top two wicketkeepers of each Quad-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan Cup and National T20 for the season 2022-23 (but are not in the earlier categories); top three batters in terms of runs, top two fast bowlers in terms of wickets, top two spinners in terms of wickets, and top two allrounders of the 2022-23 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (but are not in the earlier categories); top three batters in terms of runs, top two fast bowlers in terms of wickets, top two spinners in terms of wickets, and top two allrounders of the last Pakistan Cup (but are not in the earlier categories).

Category D (30 players) – PKR 150,000: The top three batters in terms of runs, top two fast bowlers in terms of wickets, top two spinners in terms of wickets, and top two allrounders of National T20 Season 2022-23 (but are not in the earlier categories) Top five batters in terms of runs, top two fast bowlers in terms of wickets, top two spinners in terms of wickets, top two allrounders, and top two wicketkeepers, each, (in terms of wickets and runs) of the PCB’s Second XI Championship, Challenge and T20 for the Season 2022-23; players who have represented Pakistan Under-19 in the last two years

Category E (50 players) – PKR 100,000: Players who have represented Pakistan Shaheens in the past; players who have represented the Pakistan emerging team in the last two years; players who have represented Pakistan Under-19 in the past; players who have played 20 or more first-class matches

Category F (170 players) – PKR 50,000: The remaining domestic players.

On August 11 this year, the new PCB administration had announced the revamped domestic cricket calendar, and the PCB said in a statement while announcing the contracts that “this step will make sure that the regions and departments compete on a level playing field by utilising the best available talent”. The President’s Trophy, a second first-class tournament with department sides in it, will offer first-class players another earning opportunity, with its own match fees.

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to start on September 10

“As per the new financial model, a player featuring in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will now get a match fee of PKR 80,000, players participating in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy will get PKR 40,000 per game,” the PCB said in a statement. “Those playing the white-ball tournaments – the Pakistan Cup and the National T20 – will now earn PKR 40,000 per game. The non-playing members of a first-class team will get PKR 40,000 and earn PKR 20,000 per match in white-ball cricket respectively.”

The PCB also explained that (a) if a player who falls in more than one criterion or already has a PCB contract then the same contract will be trickled down to the next player, (b) the contracts are in descending order, if there are more players in one category then the remaining players will be trickled down to the next category, similarly, if there are fewer players in a certain category then the players in the next immediate category will be upgraded; (c) contracts will be given after clearance of fitness test.

The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will start on September 10, following which the second first-class competition of the calendar, the President’s Trophy, will start on December 15.