PCB to hand out central contract to players later this month

Karachi, Jan 17 (PTI) The Pakistan Cricket Board plans tohand out its new central contracts to players for the fiscalyear by the end of this month with cricketers under scrutinyfor alleged corruption or links with bookies or those facingfitness issues unlikely to get fresh contracts.

Sources in the board said that former captain ShoaibMalik or test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria were unlikely to beincluded in the new central contracts list until theysatisfied the board''s integrity committee and got unofficialclearance to play again for Pakistan.

The PCB has officially never confirmed on what suspicionsthe two players were not considered for recent selections forthe New Zealand tour of the World Cup preliminary squad butthe source said they would not get contracts unless theyfulfill all demands of the board regarding the submission ofdetails of their assets, accounts and sources of income.

One source said they were some other player who couldmiss out on the central contracts for different reasons.

"This time the board is going to be very particular whilefinalising the list of players to get central contracts," thesource said.

He said even those senior players who were no longercertain selections like Muhammad Yousuf or Shoaib Akhtar wereunlikely to be given contracts.

Although Akhtar has remained a regular member of the T20and one-day team in recent months, Yousuf was dropped for thetour to New Zealand and is not certain to be picked in theWorld Cup squad as well.

Kaneria was placed in the category A last year in thecentral contracts list.

"The selectors have been asked to draw up a list ofplayers and recommend them for the central contracts andretainers but the board has the authority to finalise andshortlist the players," the source added.

The central contracts given out last year the source hadexpired on December 31st.

"The new contracts whenever they are given out will bebackdated from January 1st and there is o bar on players beingadded to the list later on as it happened last year," henoted.

The players who get central contracts are given monthlysalaries by the board in three different slabs with the Acategory players getting 250,000 per month and those in thesecond and third categories being paid 200,000 and 150,000.