Breaking! Mohammad Rizwan Launches Fresh Attack on PCB After Captaincy Removal

Pakistan’s star wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has reportedly declined to sign the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new central contract for the 2025–26 season, due to growing tensions between senior players and the board. The dispute has arisen due to changes made to the central contract structure and the recent change in the captaincy of the team.

As per several reports, the PCB has completely revamped its contract system and has removed the Category A tier, which previously included top names like Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Under the new arrangement, all three have been moved down to Category B, along with a number of other senior cricketers.

The updated system has expanded the total number of contracted players from 27 to 30, evenly distributed across Categories B, C, and D. Interestingly, the PCB decided not to retain any player in the elite category, which has left several senior players disappointed. Mohammad Rizwan central contract dispute is making things worse for the PCB, as the team is already struggling with performance, and now even senior players are getting frustrated with the management, which is not a good sign.

Mohammad Rizwan PCB Contract Dispute Explained

Rizwan is one of Pakistan’s most reliable players in all formats. He is reportedly the only one among the 30 contracted cricketers who hasn’t signed the new deal. According to the PTI, Mohammad Rizwan is upset about being moved down from the top category and has shared a few conditions with the PCB. He has asked the board to bring back Category A for senior players and wants national captains to have more independence and job security.

However, the PCB has reportedly shown no intention of agreeing to Rizwan’s requests. The board officials have defended the new contract system, saying it is part of a wider plan to reward consistent performers and give more opportunities to emerging players. Despite the ongoing dispute, Rizwan has still been included in Pakistan’s 16-member squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, which begins on November 3, with Shaheen Shah Afridi leading the side.

Is PCB Captaincy Drama the Reason Behind Rizwan's Frustration?

After the 2023 ODI World Cup, Babar Azam, who is also one of the best batsmen in the world, gave up the captaincy in all formats, and Shaheen Shah Afridi took over. But Shaheen’s time as captain lasted only one series before Babar was brought back to lead ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. A few months later, Babar stepped down again, and Mohammad Rizwan, who is also among the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world, was made the ODI captain for a short period.

Now, both Babar and Rizwan have lost their leadership roles, with Salman Ali Agha and Shaheen Afridi taking charge in different formats. These frequent captaincy changes left Rizwan frustrated, especially after he was dropped from the T20I team in late 2024 and suddenly removed as ODI captain. Reportedly, the wicketkeeper-batter has asked the PCB management the reason behind his exclusion from the T20 team.

Pakistan is moving ahead with the plan of having three different captains for each format of the game. Shan Masood leads the Test side, Shaheen Afridi has been recently appointed to lead the ODI side, replacing Mohammad Rizwan, and Salman Ali Agha continues to lead the team in the T20 format.

This entire scenario of constantly changing the leadership has led to insecurity among senior players, and the results could already be seen in the dip in performance of players like Rizwan and Babar Azam. Even Mohammad Rizwan captaincy records in the ODI format are decent, with 8 wins out of 12 matches, which makes his captaincy removal even more shocking.