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.
According to the PCB’s policy, when a centrally contracted player below the A or B categories is appointed captain, their contract is upgraded to category B for the duration of their captaincy, as stated in a PCB statement.
Shan Masood, aged 34, assumed the role of Test captain on November 15, 2023, and will continue in this capacity until the conclusion of the ICC World Test Championship 2023–25 cycle. With a record of 30 Tests and 1,597 runs, the left-handed batter is poised to lead Pakistan in his inaugural assignment as captain in the upcoming three-match series against Australia, starting on December 14.
Having succeeded Babar Azam as Pakistan Test captain, Masood is gearing up to lead the team in a three-match Test series against Australia, beginning December 14.
Pakistan currently holds the top position in the World Test Championship standings, having secured a 2-0 victory over Sri Lanka in a series held in July.
The series against Australia will kick off with the first Test in Perth on December 14, followed by the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne starting on December 26. The series will conclude 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.