Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has struck a fresh three year financial remuneration agreement with captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik - the representatives of the players - which will see a 25-30 per cent increase in monthly remuneration as the previous three-year-long formula concluded this season.

The newly agreed formula also sees an increase of 20 percent in the match fee across all categories. The development came as the country's cricket body handed central contracts for the 2018-19 season to 33 players on Monday.

"To recognize performers on the domestic circuit as well as to encourage the continuing development of emerging cricketers from the junior cricket level" an 'E' category has been added which stretches the categories to five from four last year.

According to the newly agreed formula, the following will be the monthly salaries:

A category - 875,000 PKR (USD 7,112)

B category - 550,000 PKR (USD 4,470)

C category - 375,000 PKR (USD 3,048)

D category - 190,000 PKR (USD 1,544)

E category - 100,000 PKR (USD 813)

The central contract selection committee, comprising Haroon Rashid (Director, Cricket Operations), Inzamam ul Haq (National Chief Selector), and Mudassar Nazar (Director, Academies) put Azhar Ali, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz, Yasir Shah, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Amir in the A category.

Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez and Test batsman Asad Shafiq have been handed B category contracts alongside Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, and Faheem Ashraf. Out of favour Wahab Riaz is in C category - which has nine players - along with Junaid Khan, who marked his return to ODI cricket last month, and Haris Sohail.

Ahmed Shehzad is a notable omission from the list. The right-handed batsman is provisionally suspended from all forms of cricket after he failed a random dope test, conducted in April this year. After deciding against getting his sample B probed, Shehzad now awaits a hearing after which the length of his ban will be determined.

Player list

Category A : Azhar Ali, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah, Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir

Category B: Muhammad Hafeez, Faheem Ashraf, Asad Shafiq, Hasan Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan

Category C: Muhammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Haris Sohail, Imam ul Haq, Muhammad Nawaz, Usman Shinwari, Shan Masood, Imad Wasim

Category D: Rumman Raees, Asif Ali, Rahat Ali, Usman Salahuddin, Hussain Talat

Category E: Bilal Asif, Saad Ali, Muhammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Sahibzada Farhan, Umaid Asif, Mir Hamza