PCB retains suspended Ajmal in central contracts

PCB says the central contracts will run from January to March 31 this year

KARACHI: Cricket authorities on Wednesday retained the suspended spinner Saeed Ajmal while also adding the newcomers fast bowler Sohail Khan and the leggie Yasir Shah in their list of central contracts.

The 37-year-old Ajmal is under suspension for illegal bowling action since September last year and will appear in a reassessment test in Chennai, India on January 24.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the central contracts will run from January to March 31 this year.

Ajmal was retained in "A" category along with Test and one-day captain Misbahul Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi and Junaid Khan.

Paceman Junaid was lucky to be retained in the top category despite being sidelined through injury since October last year.

"PCB has extended central contracts up to March 31, 2015 the central contracts awarded for the year 2015 will be awarded in April," said a PCB release.

Shah and Sohail -- both part of Pakistan's 15-man squad for next month's World Cup --  have been awarded central contract in Category 'D', the release added.

The term of the previous contracts expired on December 31, 2014.

Category 'A' (6)

Misbahul Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Junaid Khan.

Category 'B' (3)

Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul.

Category 'C' (6)

Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Adnan Akmal, Khurram Manzoor, Nasir Jamshed, Abdul Rehman

Category 'D' (18)

Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfraz Ahmed, Bilawal Bhatti, Sharjeel Khan, Zulfiqar Babar, Fawad Alam, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Raza Hasan, Umar Amin, Haris Sohail, Rahat Ali, Shan Masood, Mohammad Talha, Anwar Ali, Yasir Shah and Sohail Khan.