Pakistan denies contract to injury-prone Akhtar by AFP

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Player:

Shoaib Akhtar

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DateLine: 26th January 2008

 

Injury-prone fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar Friday received another career blow after the Pakistan Cricket Board denied him a contract, officials said.

 

Akhtar, who was omitted from the team for the ongoing one-day series against Zimbabwe, was among six players not given a contract, leaving a big question mark on his future which has already been hampered by off-field problems.

 

"We are giving 15 players annual central contracts," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Nasim Ashraf told reporters.

 

"Like in the past year the seniority carried 20 points while the performance, which also includes fitness and discipline, carried 80 points," Ashraf said.

 

The contracts were decided after a lengthy meeting of the PCB governing board.

 

Besides Akhtar, fellow paceman Mohammad Sami, batsmen Imran Nazir, Faisal Iqbal, Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir and Mohammad Hafeez have also been relegated to a special category and their performance will be monitored, said Ashraf.

 

The 32-year-old Akhtar was criticised for his injury during the Bangalore Test against India last month where he bowled only 10 overs in the first innings due to a back problem in the match which Pakistan drew.

 

Pakistan, though, lost the series 1-0.

 

Akhtar has also shown interest in acting in Bollywood movies, a move which irked cricket authorities.

 

"We have nothing against any player and the points system decided their contracts," said Ashraf.

 

Captain Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Mohammad Asif and Misbah-ul Haq are placed in "A" category and will earn 250,000 rupees (4,500 dollars) per month.

 

Misbah has also been named vice-captain for the current calendar year.

 

Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi (demoted from A), Umar Gul, Salman Butt and Sohail Tanveer are in category B which has 175,000 rupees per month (2,900 dollars) salary.

 

Danish Kaneria (demoted from B), Yasir Arafat, Rao Iftikhar, Abdul Rehman and Fawad Alam are placed in C category which carries a salary of 100,000 rupees (1,650 dollars).

 

Another 10 players, who have done well at the domestic level and are knocking on the door of international cricket, are being placed in D category which will earn them 75,000 rupees (1,210 dollars) per month.

 

Pakistan introduced the contract system in 2004, giving the country's top 17 cricketers monthly salaries ranging between 1,200 to 3,500 dollars.

 

They raised the pay scales by 25 percent in 2006.

(Article: Copyright © 2008 AFP)