No contracts for banned Pakistan cricketers

KARACHI (AFP), Fri, Mar 19 2010 - Pakistan excluded banned ex-captains Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf from a list of central contracts announced Friday, raising further doubts over their international careers.

Younus and Yousuf were among seven players last week banned and fined by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following an inquiry into dismal team performance on a December-February tour of Australia.

Pakistan lost all three Tests, five one-day and a Twenty20 match on the tour, which was also hit by discipline problems -- on and off the field.

Younus and Yousuf were banned indefinitely for "infighting which resulted in bringing down" the team but the PCB said they could return after a review.

"Naturally we did not consider the names of Yousuf and Younus because of their bans and there can be a review if their bans are lifted," PCB chief operating officer Wasim Bari told AFP.

Former captain Shoaib Malik and all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan were also banned for a year on charges of violating the code of conduct, widely reported in the local media as match-fixing.

Malik and Hasan were excluded from a list of 18 players awarded annual central contracts.

"PCB has awarded central contracts to the players after consultation with chairman selection committee Mohsin Khan and these contracts will be effective for one year starting from January 1, 2010," Bari said.

Three other penalised cricketers -- Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umer Akmal -- were lucky to retain their contracts after they were heavily fined and put on a six-month probation by the inquiry committee.

Paceman Mohammad Asif won back his contract following a failed doping test in the Indian Premier League in 2008 which resulted in a one-year ban.

Dope-tainted paceman Shoaib Akhtar was excluded from the list after missing most of Pakistan matches last year due to injury and discipline problems.

Afridi, Kamran, Umar Gul, Salman Butt, Abdul Razzaq, Asif and Danish Kaneria were placed in an "A" category and will earn 250,000 rupees (2,970 dollars) a month.

Umer, Mohammad Aamir, Saeed Ajmal, Faisal Iqbal, Misbah-ul-Haq and Imran Farhat were in a "B" category, entitled to a monthly salary of 175,000 rupees.

Fawad Alam, Yasir Arafat, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz and Abdul Rehman were placed in a "C" category, which brings a monthly salary of 100,000 rupees.

Nineteen promising cricketers will receive special monthly stipends of 50,000 rupees (600 dollars), said Bari.