Pakistan’s cricketers could soon have their fitness test results made available to the public as the Pakistan Cricket Board looks to increase accountability within its high-performance system. The proposal forms part of a broader restructuring of the board’s central contracts model, which will place greater emphasis on fitness levels and domestic cricket participation as Pakistan seeks to strengthen its player pathways and improve international results.
Speaking to media in Lahore on Monday, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi outlined a series of changes designed to reshape the management and evaluation of centrally contracted players.
PCB introduces new contracts framework
The board is moving away from its long-standing A, B, C and D grading system in favour of a format-based structure built around five player categories. The revised model is intended to better reflect the differing requirements of Test, One-Day International and T20 cricket while creating a clearer development pathway for emerging talent.
Under the new system, Track AB is designated for players capable of contributing in both Tests and ODIs, while Track A is reserved for red-ball specialists. Track BC covers cricketers involved in ODIs and T20 Internationals, Track C is focused on T20 specialists and franchise players, and Track D serves as a development track linked to the National Cricket Academy.
Addressing the new framework and the role of fitness within it, Naqvi said: “We have included every detail in the document with great care and thoroughness. I am in favour of making fitness test results public and available to the media.”
Domestic cricket and fitness take centre stage
The revised contracts structure also reinforces the PCB’s commitment to domestic cricket as a key part of player development. Alongside meeting fitness requirements, participation in domestic competitions is expected to remain an important consideration for players seeking central contracts.
The briefing was attended by Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmad and Director High Performance Aqib Javed as the PCB outlined the objectives behind the changes and its plans for the national setup moving forward.
Attention turns to tournament results
While discussing the board’s broader priorities, Naqvi also addressed Pakistan’s recent performances on the international stage. The PCB Chairman acknowledged that results in major tournaments have fallen short of expectations despite stronger returns in bilateral cricket.
Speaking about the responsibility of improving standards, Naqvi said: “Achieving good results is a collective responsibility. We are providing everything required for the betterment of cricket.”
On Pakistan’s record in multi-nation events, he added: “Our results in bilateral series have been encouraging, but we have not performed well in tournaments. Work is being done to address that.”
PCB seeks visible progress
Looking ahead to the board’s wider plans, Naqvi said: “There is much more to consider than just performance alone. We acknowledge that our results in tournaments have not been good enough, but improvement will now be visible.”
The comments provide further insight into the PCB’s efforts to tighten standards around fitness, increase accountability and reshape its player management system as it works to improve Pakistan’s performances in major international competitions.
