The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has allocated Rs528 million in the annual budget for cricketers via central contracts, with an additional boost from a 3% share of ICC revenue, contributing an extra Rs220.3 million. This brings the total to Rs748.3 million, which cricketers will receive annually. The approval for this allocation was secured during a recent meeting of the management committee.

In the A category of central contracts, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi will each receive Rs6,030,000 per month. 

For players in Category B, the monthly payment is set at Rs4,147,500, while those in Category C will receive Rs1,765,000 monthly. Players in Category D are entitled to Rs1,132,500 on a monthly basis.

It's worth noting that this marks the first instance where the PCB has agreed to distribute a share of players' earnings from ICC revenue. In terms of retainership, there has been a significant across-the-board increase: Category A witnesses a rise of 202%, Category B experiences a 144% increase, and Category C sees a 135% surge. Furthermore, there has been a 50% increase in Test match fees, a 25% increase in ODIs, and a 12.5% increase in T20Is.

The list of players offered contracts, along with their respective categories, is as follows:

Category A: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Category B: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, and Shadab Khan

Category C: Imad Wasim and Abdullah Shafique

Category D: Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmad, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan