High profile names such as the out of form Shoaib Malik and the out of favour Kamran Akmal are not included in the list of recommendations for Central contracts submitted for approval to Zaka Ashraf

By Saj Sadiq (25th January, 2012)

The Pakistan Cricket Board's recommendations for Central Contracts for the period 1st January 2011 to 30th June 2011 have been prepared and are ready to be sent to the Chairman Zaka Ashraf for his approval.

PakPassion.net has learnt that 27 players have been listed for the three categories with eight players listed for the highest category (A), ten players listed for the middle category (B) and nine listed for the lower category (C).

High profile names such as the out of form Shoaib Malik and the out of favour Kamran Akmal however are not included in the list of recommendations.

Current captain in all three formats Misbah ul Haq is joined in the top category by senior bowlers Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul, whilst the vastly improved Mohammad Hafeez and the evergreen Younis Khan are also included in the top band. Experienced campaigners Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq are the remaining players expected to receive a Category A contract, subject to Ashraf's approval.

Category B sees the remainder of the regular picks for Pakistan in Tests and in the shorter formats and includes familiar names such as Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Taufeeq Umar etc. Category C includes players who the Board see as on the fringe of selection and back ups to the current selections.

Pakistan players are given central contracts in three pay slabs. Players classed as Category A currently receive PKR 250,000 (USD $ 2,750) per month, while those in Category B are eligible for PKR 175,000 (USD $ 1,940) with Category C players earning PKR 100,000 (USD$ 1,100) per month. These payments are in addition to match fees, allowances, logo sponsorship share and bonuses paid to the players.

It's expected that a pay increase to the basic monthly payments will also be recommended and approved by Zaka Ashraf, although specific amounts regarding the raise in basic salary are not yet known.

The criteria for Central Contracts in Pakistan is based largely on seniority, rather than performance and availability in all formats.


Full list of recommendations is as follows:-

Category A: Misbah ul Haq, Younis Khan, Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi, Muhammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman.


Category B: Imran Farhat, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Wahab Riaz, Taufeeq Umar, Adnan Akmal, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan.


Category C: Muhammad Talha, Fawad Alam, Muhammad Ayub Dogar, Sarfraz Ahmed, Muhammad Khalil, Yasir Shah, Ali Imran Pasha, Afaq Rahim, Raza Hasan