PCB awards Malik, Azhar Ali category A contracts

Offspinner Saeed Ajmal and fast bowler Junaid Khan were demoted to category B in the new central contract announced by PCB.

ODI captain Azhar Ali also got significant hike, who has been promoted to category A from category C. Fast bowler Umar Gul was missing in the 27-man list issued by the PCB on Saturday.

Former captain Shoaib Malik, who had been denied a contact for last scores of years, made a comeback to the national side in May after a gap of two years, scoring a hundred against Zimbabwe in Lahore.

Ajmal, on the other hand, has been struggling to cement his place in the side after remodeling of his bowling action. He was demoted to category B alongside Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Junaid Khan and Asad Shafiq. Mohammad Irfan and Haris Sohail were upgraded from category D to C.

Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal, was demoted from category B to C by the three-man committee comprises of national chief selector Haroon Rasheed, head coach Waqar Younis and Zakir Khan, the director of international cricket operations.

“This bunch is a blend of seasoned players with proven credentials and emerging talent with potential to represent Pakistan across three formats,” the PCB said in a statement. “The remunerations – both the monthly retainer as well as match fees – have been increased across the board along with restoring the win bonuses and performance incentives.”

Category A: Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan

Category B: Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Rahat Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah

Category C: Anwar Ali, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaan Masood, Umar Akmal

Category D: Babar Azam, Sami Aslam, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Amin, Zulfiqar Babar