Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood receives upgrade in PCB's central contract list

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced that they have decided to upgrade Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood's category in the central contract list from D to B after naming him as the skipper.

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced that they have decided to upgrade Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood's category in the central contract list from D to B.

"The decision has been made in line with the board's policy that if a centrally contracted player below A or B categories is appointed captain, their contract shall be upgraded to category B for the tenure of their captaincy," a statement from PCB read.

The 34-year-old Shan was named Test captain on 15 November 2023, until the conclusion of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle. The left-handed batter has featured in 30 Tests, amassing 1,597 runs, and will lead Pakistan in his first assignment as captain in the upcoming three-match series against Australia, commencing from December 14.

Masood just took over as Pakistan Test captain from Babar Azam, and the 34-year-old is set to lead Pakistan in a three-match Test series against Australia beginning on December 14.

Pakistan currently leads the World Test Championship chart, having defeated Sri Lanka 2-0 in a July series. The first Test takes place in Perth on December 14, followed by the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on December 26, and the series closes with the third Test in Sydney on January 3, 2024.

Squad:

Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.