Rizwan refuses to sign PCB central contract, demands T20I axing explanation

LAHORE: Former Pakistan One Day International (ODI) skipper Mohammad Rizwan has placed a condition before the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ahead of signing the central contract, ARY News reported, citing sources.

The sources said that Mohammad Rizwan has refused to sign the central contract and has asked the PCB to inform him of the reason for removing him from the country’s T20I squad.

All other players have signed the central contract; however, Mohammad Rizwan has not signed it so far.

The PCB had presented the central contract to 30 national players, and Mohammad Rizwan was included in Category B along with 10 other players.

No player was included in Category A.

All the national players, except for the wicket-keeper and batter Mohammad Rizwan, have signed the central contract.

The former ODI captain has placed some demands before the PCB for signing the central contract.

Sources said that the PCB has not accepted the demands set by Mohammad Rizwan. Furthermore, there is currently no chance of the PCB approving Mohammad Rizwan’s demands.

Earlier, Pakistan will take on South Africa in a three-match T20I series, with the first T20I set to take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium today.

The second and third T20Is will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on 31 October and 1 November, respectively.

In all three T20Is, the toss will take place at 7.30pm, with the first ball to be bowled at 8pm local time.

The T20Is will be followed by three ODIs, which will be staged at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on 4, 6 and 8 November. Before the T20I series, both sides featured in the two-match Test series – part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27, which ended 1-1. The hosts won the first Test by 93 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium, while the tourists fought back to win the second Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium by eight wickets.

In T20Is, both sides have faced each other 24 times, winning 12 each. In three T20Is played in Pakistan, the hosts have won twice, while South Africa have emerged victorious once. For Pakistan, in the current T20I squad, Babar Azam has scored 447 runs in 13 outings against South Africa, while Shaheen Shah Afridi has grabbed 13 wickets in 12 matches.

Babar, who has featured in 128 T20I matches for Pakistan, requires eight runs to become the leading run-getter in this format in the world.

Salman Ali Agha, while talking to PCB Digital, said: “I think we have a very interesting and exciting side, with a few comebacks and a few new faces as well. I am very excited to lead this team and we really hope to have a great series.

“We had a great series against Bangladesh at home and I am hopeful for good results in the upcoming series as well. We just want to execute our plans for a longer period. As I always say, we have a great team, a team that can beat any side. Obviously, South Africa are a very good side; they have a few misses, but still possess very good talent.”

During the first T20I, the Pakistan team will don specially designed pink-themed kits to support PCB’s initiative with Pink Ribbon Pakistan in creating awareness about breast cancer.

On broadcast, cricket fans in Pakistan will be able to watch the series live in high-definition on A Sports and Ten Sports, while live streaming will be available on Tapmad and Tamasha.

Viewers around the world can watch the action live on Willow TV (North America), SuperSport (sub-Saharan Africa), Dialog TV (Sri Lanka), T Sports (Bangladesh) and Cricbuzz (Middle East and North Africa).

15-member T20I squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper), Usman Tariq