NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s centrally contracted cricketers are set to receive significant pay hikes, with players in the newly introduced red-ball Track A category expected to benefit the most under the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new contract system for the 2026-27 cycle.According to a reliable PCB source, a committee that includes white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and red-ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed has finalised draft contracts for the upcoming cycle.The PCB has placed special emphasis on rewarding players who feature regularly in Test cricket.“Their match fees is expected to be around 1.5 million PKR while their monthly retainer will be in range of 4 million rupees before taxes. Previously in the last contracts players were given a test match fees of around 800,000 PKR,” the source said.The new structure marks the first time the PCB has introduced format-based central contracts.Players selected in both Track A and Track B categories – covering Test cricket and white-ball formats – are expected to be among the highest earners. Apart from match fees, they are likely to receive monthly retainers of around 4.8 to 5 million PKR.The board has also proposed attractive performance-based incentives. According to the source, players will receive a 500 percent bonus on their match fees if Pakistan wins an ICC tournament, while winning an Asian-level event such as the Asia Cup would bring a 300 percent bonus.The source also revealed details of the other categories. Players contracted only in Track B, which covers ODIs and T20Is, are expected to receive monthly retainers of up to 1.8 million PKR.Meanwhile, cricketers placed in Track C – a category reserved for players involved only in T20 cricket and franchise leagues – are likely to receive monthly retainers ranging from 1.2 million to 1.5 million PKR.Interestingly, the PCB is also considering not making public the names and categories of centrally contracted players. If implemented, it would be a first in Pakistan cricket and has already attracted criticism from some quarters.The PCB has not yet announced how many players will receive central contracts under the new format-based system.