Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz omitted from PCB central contracts

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released the central contract list for their women cricketers, and two big names were missing from the list. Nida Dar, a veteran of 272 international games for Pakistan and a mainstay of the side for over a decade, couldn’t find a spot in the 16-player list released by the PCB. Even Aliya Riaz, who has experience in 167 international games, couldn’t find a contract for herself.

The PCB mentioned in the press release that performances were reassessed this year after a 20-player list was released last year, which resulted in the omission of Riaz, Anosha Nasir, Eyman Fatima, Dar, Shawaal Zulfiqar, and Sidra Nawaz. However, the press release also mentioned that these players would be available for selection. 

Meanwhile, right-handed opener Gull Feroza, off-spinner Rameen Shamim, and left-arm seamer Tasmia Rubab have been included in the central contracts. The 21-year-old left-arm seamer has earned the central contract for the first time. 

Within the contracts, Sadia Iqbal has been promoted to Category B and skipper Fatima Sana and wicketkeeper Muneeba Ali have moved to Category A after superb performances for Pakistan in the last year. However, Sidra Amin, who has scored runs at an average of 19.55 and a strike rate of 94.3 in T20Is, and an average of 29.5 and a strike rate of just 65.5 since 2023, also finds herself in Category A despite not putting up standout performances consistently. 

PCB Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmad Syed, who, according to the Pakistan esteemed daily Dawn, ‘is a seasoned civil servant with extensive administrative experience, who most recently served as Joint Secretary in Prime Minister’s office (PMO),' has been quoted in the press release as saying that this central contract list has been prepared to “reflect our forward-looking strategy as we prepare for the new ICC Women’s Future Tours Programme.”

“On behalf of the PCB, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali and Sadia Iqbal on their well-earned promotions, as well as to Tasmia Rubab for receiving a central contract for the first time,” the PCB press release quoted Syed saying.  

“Her inclusion and progression, as well as the return of Gull Feroza and Rameen Shamim, highlight our commitment to recognising consistent performances and rewarding talent. The 2024-25 central contracts reflect our forward-looking strategy as we prepare for the new ICC Women’s Future Tours Programme. 

“By further investing in established players through significantly enhanced retainers and offering clear pathways to the emerging cricketer, we aim to strike a balance between nurturing future stars and sustaining competitiveness at the highest level.”

You can find the list of centrally contracted players below - 

Category A – Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali and Sidra Amin

Category B – Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal

Category C – Diana Baig, Omaima Sohail

Category D – Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani

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