The Pakistan Cricket Board has added three more spots in the central contracts for women cricketers for the 2021-22 season.

These contracts, which come into effect from 1 July, include 12 spots, divided between A, B and C categories, while eight cricketers have been retained in the emerging contracts list.

In total, the PCB has awarded 20 contracts for the 2021-22 cricket season, which is two more than the previous.

Monthly retainers across all rungs – including the emerging category – have been increased by 10 per cent and the national women’s selection committee has kept one spot open in the central contracts that will be awarded in the year based on on-field performance.

All-rounder Nida Dar – who is the only batter to hit two half-centuries and is the second highest run-getter in the three ODIs Pakistan played against South Africa– has been promoted to category B from C.

Fatima Sana, the recipient of PCB Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year Award last year, has been bumped up from the emerging list to category C of the central contracts. The 19-year-old emerged into a regular feature in Pakistan’s ODI line-up and played all three matches against South Africa in Durban earlier in the year.

She had an impressive outing in the domestic T20 competition as the right-arm pacer took four wickets in three matches at 21.25 run per dismissal and remained unbeaten in three innings as she accumulated 95 runs with her highest score being 41 not out.

Kainat Imtiaz, who was the player of the tournament for scoring 111 runs at the average of 111 in four innings and taking three wickets, has also been given a category C contract. The 29-year-old remained the top run-getter in T20Is for Pakistan as she scored 79 runs at 26.33 and a strike-rate of over run-a-ball (101.28).

Left-arm orthodox Nashra Sandhu has also been handed a category C contract after she finished the season as Pakistan’s second best ODI bowler with six scalps – behind Diana Baig’s nine wickets in three innings – at an average of 16.66 and economy rate of 3.44.

Javeria Khan, who captained Pakistan in Africa and will continue leading the national side in the three T20Is and five ODIs against West Indies in Antigua, is retained in the top category. She is joined by Bismah Maroof, who is on a maternity leave as per the recently announced PCB’s Parental Support Policy

All eight cricketers who received emerging contracts last year have been retained in the category. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Sidra Nawaz has been demoted to category C from B.

Central contracts for women’s cricketers for 2021-22 season:

Category A: Bismah Maroof and Javeria Khan

Category B: Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig and Nida Dar

Category C: Anam Amin, Fatima Sana, Kainat Imtiaz, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail and Sidra Nawaz

Emerging contracts for women’s cricketers for 2021-22 season: Ayesha Naseem, Kaynat Hafeez, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Najiha Alvi, Rameen Shamim, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal and Syeda Aroob Shah.