KARACHI, Jan 25: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has dropped fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami from the list of 15 players who will get new central contracts this month.

Addressing a media conference here at a local hotel on Friday, Chairman PCB Dr Nasim Ashraf announced that the two pacers and opener Imran Nazir had not been given the annual central contract because of fitness and performance issues.

“The players not given central contracts have been given special retainers and if they show commitment and form they can come back into the team after a year,” he said.

He added that the PCB Governing Board had deliberated on the central contracts issue for over two hours in Friday’s meeting. He said they felt the central contract should not be treated as an employment contract.

“It’s a points-based contract in which players were awarded numbers in the areas of discipline, fitness and performance during last year’s international cricket,” he said, emphasising, “We are not against [Shoaib] Akhtar or any other player.

“We want it to be an elite contract. So that players may fight and compete to get the contracts. It should also serve as an incentive for younger players,” he expressed. “Not being in the central contracts list does not mean you cannot be selected for the national team. Selectors can consider any player.”

However, Shoaib, known as ‘Rawalpindi Express’, was awarded a retainer of US$1,200 a month, in a newly-formed category ‘D’ in which 10 promising youngsters will receive US$1,200 monthly.

Five other players — Sami, Faisal Iqbal, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez and Yasir Hameed — also received the category ‘D’ retainer.

The PCB chief further said that all contracts and retainers would run through December 2008.

Shoaib, 32, has been centrally contracted since the system was introduced in Pakistan in 2005.

But he was left out of the ongoing home one-day series against Zimbabwe and told to prove his fitness after some disappointing performances on the tour of India in December.

PCB Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi said earlier this week that the paceman struggled to bowl four to five-over spells besides having some fitness issues.

Sami, 26, was recalled for the India Test series but took only four wickets in three games, while 26-year-old Imran Nazir has been in and out of the one-day team.

In another significant decision taken at the Governing Board’s meeting on Friday, Misbah-ul-Haq was promoted to the top income bracket to join Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and pace bowler Mohammad Asif.

Misbah was also made vice-captain until the end of 2008.

“Misbah was picked after thorough discussions during the Governing Board meeting,” Dr Nasim said. “He [Misbah] got the vote of confidence because he has secured a permanent place in the team,” he stated, hoping the solid batsman will combine well with Shoaib Malik, coach and the manager.

On the subject of foreign tours, the PCB chairman said the manager would be heading the tour selection committee in the future while vice-captain and coach will be the other members of that committee.

He added that, in future, national selection committee would also announce 5-6 reserve players apart from 15-16 players usually named for the tour.

The tour selection committee will only be asking the selectors for replacement and can name a particular player for it, he continued.

On the controversial issue of the breakaway ICL, the PCB boss said all the players who featured in the ICL had been banned from representing Pakistan and playing first-class matches.

Those who appeared in the ICL league included Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imran Farhat, Abdul Razzaq, Shabbir Ahmed, Taufiq Umar and Azhar Mahmood.

However, they are free to appear in lower-grade events conducted by the PCB or associations.

Dr Nasim also said that they are preparing a plan to provide maximum incentives to attract them to Pakistan’s international and domestic cricket.

“We have reports that recruit agents are in Pakistan to hire these players and this can damage our domestic first-class circuit,” he added.

He also revealed that PCB was working on the criteria of Pakistan players’ participation in English county cricket.

Central contracted players:

Category ‘A’: Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Yousuf; monthly retainer Rs250,000 ($4,500).

Category ‘B’: Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt, Umar Gul; Rs175,000 ($2,900)

Category ‘C’: Abdul Rehman, Yasir Arafat, Rao Iftikhar, Danish Kaneria, Fawad Alam; Rs100,000 ($1,650).

—Agencies