January 09, 2008	Wednesday	Zilhaj 29, 1428

LAHORE, Jan 8: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been questioning the performances of various cricketers recommended for the next central contract by the national selection committee.

Chances of getting a contract or retaining their previous category remain slim for fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Sami, Imran Nazir, Yasir Hameed and Faisal Iqbal, as the board has objections about the performance, fitness and attitude of all during the last six months of the previous central contract that ended on Dec 31, 2007.

The PCB will announce the next central contract after getting approval from the newly-formed Governing Board on Jan 25. The selectors had recommended 31 players for this year’s central contract, including 20 for the contract and 11 for retainership.

Sources told Dawn that the PCB officials had a problem with Shoaib’s fitness as well as his attitude during the last tour of India.

Meanwhile, despite being the second-best wicket taker against South Africa, Kaneria could be degraded from category ‘A’ to ‘B’ for his expensive bowling figures in the Test series against South Africa and India. Kaneria took 10 wickets in two Tests against South Africa and was the top wicket taker with 12 scalps against India in three Tests but he proved costly, giving away 422 runs against the Proteas and 628 against India.

Imran Nazir scored 28 runs in the three ODIs against South Africa and 20 runs in the only one which he played against India which is not impressive at all when compared to his 147 runs in seven matches of the inaugural Twenty20 Championship in South Africa.

Failing to get the selectors’ nod for the Twenty20 World Championship and the home series against South Africa, Mohammad Sami, with four wickets for 475 runs in the three Tests he played against India, remained unimpressive also.

Yasir Hameed’s contribution during the last six months is below par too. Yasir, who was also not selected for the Twenty20 Championship, played two ODIs against South Africa, scoring just 28 runs. Thus he was ignored for the Test series. Against India, Yasir played just one ODI, scoring one run. However, he was able to show some presence in the Test series, scoring 158 runs in three Tests but with a mediocre average of 26.33.

As the PCB ponders over whether to offer Shoaib Akhtar the central contract, sources close to the bowler told Dawn that he was himself not that interested in getting it as it imposes hurdles on his commercial activities.

With no central contract in order at the moment, Shoaib Malik, according to sources, took the liberty to do an Indian shoe commercial. He just returned from India on Monday after shooting for it. And as Shoaib Akhtar can get commercial offers too, he is not going to mind if the PCB does not give him a central contract, sources said.

Meanwhile, some cricketers hoping for a retainership told Dawn that the PCB should not forbid them from signing contracts with the English counties.

“We suffered huge financial losses the last time we were kept from playing county cricket,” one of the affected players said.

“Players who get retainerships, receive something around Rs40,000 per month while those who come under the central contract earn lacs. Hence, the central contracted players can earn enough money without playing county cricket but the case is not the same for retainers,” he explained.

He also suggested the PCB should start its senior cricket season after mid September as the county season would have been over by then.

The following 31 players have been recommended for the central contract:

Shoaib Malik, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir, Shoaib Akhtar, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Faisal Iqbal, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Sami, Yasir Arafat, Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Rehman, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Abdul Rauf, Sohail Khan, Samiullah Niazi, Junaid Zia, Naumanullah, Khurram Manzoor, Nasir Jamshed, Afaq Raheem, Shoaib Khan, Khalid Latif.