Senior players, including former captain Nida Dar, were excluded from the new list of central contracts as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) awarded deals to only 16 women cricketers on Saturday.

Veterans Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, and Sidra Nawaz were dropped alongside other players such as Anosha Nasir, Eyman Fatima, and Shawaal Zulfiqar.

Nida, the senior-most player in the squad, and Aliya, a consistent performer for over five years, were notable omissions.

Last year the PCB had awarded contracts to 20 players for 12-months.

An official PCB source attributed the move to the team’s recent poor performances, emphasizing a shift towards nurturing young talent in line with the ICC Women’s Future Tours Programme 2025-29.

Prominent players Muneeba Ali and skipper Fatima Sana were elevated to Category A, while spin all-rounder Sadia Iqbal also received a promotion.

PCB COO Sumair Ahmad Syed reiterated the board’s focus on grooming new players.

“We are committed to recognizing consistent performances and rewarding talent,” he said.

Youngster Tasmia Rubab earned her first contract, while Rameen Shamim and Gull Feroza returned to the central contract list for the first time since 2018 and 2022-23, respectively.

List of centrally contracted players: Category A: Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin Category B: Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal Category C: Diana Baig, Omaima Sohail Category D: Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani.