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LAHORE Though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) awarded mid-term central contracts to seasoned players including middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq on Friday, it ignored upcoming fast bowler Mohammad Aamir who made a stunning impact in the recent World Twenty20 in England.
A PCB spokesman confirmed that both Yousuf and Razzaq had been given the 'A' category, enabling them to receive Rs300,000 per month.
Both players recently staged a comeback to Pakistan cricket after dissociating from the controversial Indian Cricket League (ICL).
Though Razzaq has justified his induction in the central contract by performing well in the National Twenty20 tournament and taking his team Lahore Lions to the final, Yousuf's induction in central contracts is rather debatable since he has not performed at the domestic or the international level in the last eight months.
The prolific batsman, however, has been selected in the Pakistan team which leaves for the tour Sri Lanka today.
Mohammad Aamir, who has been dubbed by the PCB as the discovery of the World Twenty20 and who has also been selected for the Sri Lanka tour, has been rudely ignored from the list of players who were awarded central contracts.
In the opinion of the experts, Aamir deserved at least a 'C' category contract which would have been an encouraging gesture for the youngster.
All efforts from Dawn to contact chief selector (interim period) Wasim Bari on Friday to comment on the matter went in vain as he failed to answer his phone.
The total number of central contracted players now stand at 29 with the induction of Yousuf and Razzaq. Twenty-six players were awarded the contact from Jan 1, 2009 till Dec, 2009.
Abdul Rauf has also been given the contract although his name was missing in the original list.
