Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood's central contract upgraded ahead of Australia tour

Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood's contract was on Thursday upgraded to 'B' category from earlier 'D' by the country's cricket board, hours after the team led by him left for Australia for a Test series.

The 34-year-old Masood was named Test captain on November 15 until the conclusion of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle, after Babar Azam stepped down, following Pakistan's 50-over World Cup debacle in India.

"The PCB has decided to upgrade Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood's category in the central contract list from D to B," the PCB said in a statement.