Former Pakistan captains Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik, along with leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, have been excluded from the list of the 19 players handed the central contracts by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The PCB, which has offered the contracts for a period of six months from January this year, will review it again in June. Malik and Kaneria were left out due to the pending status on their clearance by the PCB’s Integrity Committee where as Yousuf was overlooked on doubts surrounding the batsman’s fitness.
Besides the 15 players participating in the ongoing World Cup, batsmen Taufeeq Umar, Azhar Ali, wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal and fast-bowler Tanvir Ahmed have been awarded the central contracts.
The PCB Chief Selector Mohsin Khan, while talking to The Express Tribune earlier this year, said the players will be selected strictly according to the basis of a four-point policy that will follow the player’s future prospect, fitness, performance and discipline. Following these strict guidelines, the selection committee, headed by Khan, intended to ensure the pick of the best available talent in the country.
Malik, a veteran all-rounder, who has played 32 Tests and 192 One-Day Internationals met with the Integrity Committee members last week and was asked to submit a detailed reply explaining his bank transactions prior to being cleared. One the other hand Kaneria, who hinted out at legal proceedings against the PCB earlier this year, opted to resolve the matter before the Integrity Committee as soon as possible to be back in the frame.
Players’ contracts, in which the pay scales for the contracted players remain unaffected, would be effective for six months starting from January 1, 2011 as the 37-player contract under various categories ended on December 31 last year.
Stipend category removed
However, the PCB abandoned the stipend category introduced last year for the upcoming talent. This special category, intended for the top performers in the domestic season and budding under-19 players, was initiated to encourage the development of youngsters and keep them in line for the national team prospect.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2011.
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