Lahore, October 28, 2025: Former Pakistan One Day International (ODI) captain Mohammad Rizwan has refused to sign the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) central contract, placing conditions before the board and demanding an explanation for his exclusion from the national T20I squad, media reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
According to sources, all other centrally contracted players have signed the new deal, but Rizwan has held back, asking the PCB to clarify the reasons for dropping him from the T20I team.
The PCB had offered central contracts to 30 national players, categorising Rizwan in Category B along with ten others. However, the wicketkeeper-batter has not yet signed the agreement, reportedly due to differences with the board over his recent omission from the shortest format.
Sources said Rizwan had placed several demands before the PCB as conditions for signing, but the board has refused to accept them, leaving little chance of reconciliation at this stage.
The standoff comes as Pakistan prepare to face South Africa in a three-match T20I series, beginning tonight at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second and third matches will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on October 31 and November 1, respectively. The series will be followed by three One Day Internationals (ODIs) at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium on November 4, 6, and 8.
Before the T20Is, both teams drew the two-match Test series 1-1, with Pakistan winning the opener by 93 runs in Lahore and South Africa levelling the contest in Rawalpindi with an eight-wicket victory.
In T20Is, Pakistan and South Africa have met 24 times, with both teams winning 12 matches each. In Pakistan, the hosts have won two of three encounters. Babar Azam remains Pakistan’s most successful batter against South Africa, scoring 447 runs in 13 innings, while Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken 13 wickets in 12 matches.
Ahead of the opening T20I, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said the squad combined experience and new talent, expressing confidence in a strong performance.
“We have a very exciting side with a few comebacks and new faces,” he told PCB Digital. “South Africa are a very good team, but we’re confident in our plans and abilities.”
In a gesture of solidarity with Pink Ribbon Pakistan, the national team will wear pink-themed kits during the first T20I to raise awareness about breast cancer.
