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PCB to Launch New Format-Based Contracts, Domestic Cricket Key
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will remove the traditional contract categories and introduce a new system that is meant to better distinguish between specialists in the three formats, chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced.
Data and analytics will drive most of the decisions under the new model, with Naqvi saying around 85% of contract-related decisions will be determined through data rather than people.
Reason Behind the New Model
Speaking to reporters with Pakistan coaches Aaqib Javed and Mike Hesson beside him, Naqvi said contract announcements often sparked questions about why certain players were placed in specific categories.
“Contract announcements often led to questions about why a player was placed in a certain category. There were also occasions when players were unhappy with the category they received. We’ve put together a document that we’re sharing with you, and under this system around 85% of the decision-making will be based on data rather than human judgment.”
Format Tracks Replace Traditional Categories
In this model, players will no longer be divided into four categories from A to D, which has been the system until now. Instead, they will be grouped based on the format they are considered best suited to, with the categories being replaced by what the PCB document calls “format tracks”.
Players regarded as Test specialists will be placed in track A, while those involved in both Tests and ODIs will receive track AB contracts. White-ball players will be assigned to track BC, while T20 specialists will be placed in track D. Those on D contracts will have more freedom to take part in franchise T20 leagues around the world.
Players in the Test category will face the toughest restrictions. According to the document, they will receive the biggest financial rewards because of the importance the board places on Test cricket and to ensure that focusing on the longest format remains financially worthwhile.
Transparency and Classification
Naqvi said clear guidelines had been put in place to decide where every player belongs.
“I’m confident the process will be transparent and won’t depend on individual preferences. Once the criteria are applied, there should be no doubts about why a player has been placed in a particular category.”
At the same time, the PCB does not plan to reveal which track a player has been assigned to or how many players fall into each track. Because of that, while the board will use internal guidelines when deciding whether a player can join an overseas league or be selected in a particular format, the public will not know whether that player is viewed internally as a Test specialist or a white-ball specialist.
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Growing Role of Data Analytics
Naqvi, Aaqib and Hesson all stressed the growing importance of data analytics in player selection, with the PCB revealing that the model has already been used in domestic cricket over the past year.
“Every Test-playing nation is looking for ways to deal with the challenges surrounding Test cricket. The question is how you place a financial value on it that allows players to commit to the format. The PCB believes this system addresses those challenges. It clearly shows the board’s commitment to Test cricket, while also giving T20 players the opportunity to play around the world, develop their game in different competitions and be rewarded for doing so.”
Domestic Cricket Becomes More Important
Another major feature of the new model is the push for players to spend more time in domestic cricket. The document states that “regular participation in domestic cricket will be mandatory” for players seeking central contracts.
It was not explained exactly what qualifies as regular participation, but the PCB said every player’s performances would be examined in detail, along with their commitment to their chosen pathway and how they perform within it.
A New Approach to Selection
Neither the document nor the comments from the coaches and chairman provided many details about what makes this approach different from normal data analysis. However, Aaqib said it would be a clear break from the way selection decisions had been made previously.
“If you look at Cricinfo, they’ve introduced a metric called Impact Player. The idea is that you don’t judge a performance only by whether someone scored a fifty or a hundred. Sometimes a quick 20 from a No. 7 batter can have a bigger influence on the result of a match.
“The chairman asked us why there was so much criticism around contracts and selection. Even during the last contract cycle, some players felt they deserved a higher category. We also believed the process could be improved because there were areas we weren’t fully satisfied with. At times, human judgment led to deserving players being overlooked.”
The PCB said the new system will begin once the current central-contract cycle finishes later this month.
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