SPORTS 15
Sunday, 6 September, 2015
Malik, ali giveN category a coNtracts
p
SPORTS DESK
AKISTAN allrounder Shoaib Malik has been given a category A contract by the PCB for the period between July 2015 and June 2016, while offspinner Saeed Ajmal and fast bowler Junaid Khan were demoted to category B. The significant hike in the list is for ODI captain Azhar Ali, who has been promoted to category A from category C. Fast bowler Umar Gul is a notable omission from the 27-man list issued by the PCB on Saturday. Malik, who had been denied a contact for many 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 his bowling action. He was included in 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, who has lately been restricted to playing T20s, was demoted from category B to
category C by the three-man committee. Some of the notable players to completely miss out on a contract include Khurram Manzoor, Nasir Jamshed, Abdur Rehman, Adnan Akmal, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Talha, Bilawal Bhatti, Sharjeel Khan, Ehsan Adil and Raza Hasan. The central contracts selection panel 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.” The players and the PCB had been negotiating a rise in the monthly retainer with many options, such as ending the performance based contract. The players, however, objected to this. Instead, they agreed to a contract which besides the monthly retainer, gave the players an opportunity to make extra money by scoring a hundred, taking four or more wickets,
or having an exceptional series. The players also agreed to continue with the 10% raise offered earlier this year by the PCB. PCB’S MONTHLY RETAINER: The monthly Retainer had already been increased by 10% for all categories in the January-June central contract. Performance incentives have been further ratio-
nalised and increased after feedback from the Pakistan players Bonuses for wins against Full Members have been restored. All bonuses (match win, series win, and performance incentives) have been expanded and will be paid even if a Test or ODI series is drawn for the number of
won matches except in the case of a drawn T20I series. MATCH FEE (three-year agreement between players and PCB) The Test, ODI, and T20I fees were agreed with increases for the next three years (July 1, 2015-June 30, 2018) as follows: 2015-16: Increase in central contract monthly retainer for C and D Categories by 10%. 2016-17: Increase in central contract monthly retainer of all categories by 10%. Increase in Test match fee by 10 % and ODI match fee by 5% for all categories. 2017-18: Increase in central contract monthly retainer for all categories by 10% 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
WAQAR OPTIMISTIC ABOUT BILATERAL SERIES AGAINST INDIA
KARAchI aGeNcieS
Amid a cloud of uncertainty over resumption of Indo-Pak cricketing ties, Pakistan’s coach Waqar Younis has said he is optimistic about a bilateral series in December and firmly believes regular cricket can help reduce tensions between the two countries. “I remain optimistic that this series will take place because I firmly believe that playing regular bilateral series can help reduce the tensions in the relations between the two countries,” Waqar said. (PCB Chairman Says Planned Series Between India and Pakistan in December in Jeopardy) The former fast bowler said it was unfortunate
for both teams that they had not played a Test match against each other since 2007. “More than anything the fact that we have not played a Test in the last eight years is really disappointing,” he said. “The present situation between both countries means the coming series is in danger but I remain hopeful that eventually the series will happen in December,” he said. “If the series doesn’t take place it would be most unfortunate for cricket on a whole because everyone wants to watch an Indo-Pak match. “But I think this is the best chance now for both countries to resume bilateral cricket matches,” he added. Waqar also announced his availability to coach in the planned Pakistan Super League in Doha in February insisting that the cricket board
must give maximum exposure to under-19 and under-23 players in the league. “Definitely the board should try to bring in the big names in world cricket from overseas but at same time PSL is a great opportunity to give exposure to our young players in a big arena,” Waqar said. “Such leagues have been held in other countries and they have benefitted from these events. We have seen how the Indian premier league has given India so much new talent so it is not just about players becoming financially strong but also about new players getting the required exposure at top level,” he said. The Pakistan coach returned to Lahore this week after spending time with his family in Sydney. SAEED AJMAL’S REMODELLED ACTION: On the issue of considering off-spinner Saeed Ajmal for the coming international assignments, Waqar said that the senior bowler was passing through the most difficult phase of his career. “It has been difficult for him after remodelling his bowling action and I think it will take some more time before he is effective again with his new action,” Waqar said. The PCB had retained Ajmal in the central contracts list of players despite the offspinner having played just a handful of limited over games for Pakistan since his bowling action was declared illegal by the ICC in September 2014. NO COMMENTS ON END OF SPOT-FIXING EXPIRY BANS: Waqar said Saeed could only make a comeback to international cricket if he regained some of his form. The former fast bowler also talked about the importance of the coming home series against England in October stating the one-day series in Zimbabwe in late September would be the ideal preparation for the big series. “We are not going to take Zimbabwe lightly they are a fighting unit but for us the main focus is on the England series since they have just won the Ashes and have some good players,” he said. Asked about the expiry of spot fixing bans on Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir, Waqar said he was not in a position to comment on this issue.
BcB security team to arrive in karachi today KARAchI aGeNcieS
A four-member security team of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will arrive at the Quaid-e-Azam International Airport today (Sunday) ahead of the proposed tour of their women cricket team’s tour to Pakistan later this month. The team will comprise of three BD government officials and the head of BCB Security, Hossain Imam. According to reports, the security team will get an understanding of the security arrangements from arrival to departure of the women team. The team will visit
Sunset Club in Defence where the matches will be played. Moreover, it will also inspect accommodation and other arrangements at the venue, including boarding and lodging facilities. The BCB team will also get a briefing from the officials of security agencies at the Home Department. It will also travel to Lahore to meet Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials. If a green signal is given, the Bangladesh women team will play three Twenty20 Internationals and as many One-Day Internationals against Asian Games gold medallist Pakistan between September 27 to October 8.
CMYK
MUhaMMad asif iNspired by MaNdela dUriNg prisoN seNteNce SPORTS DESK The naturally gifted swing bowler Muhammad Asif, recently talked about his mistakes, regrets and hopes for the future as he tries to rebuild his tainted career after a stint in prison and a five-year suspension from cricket. Asif, whose career went spiralling down after he was charged with spot-fixing at Lord’s in 2010, hopes to return to the iconic venue as part of the Pakistan squad which will tour England next year. Speaking to Telegraph Sport from his residence in Lahore, Asif has promised to act as a counsellor for young cricketers; citing his example to the youngsters so that they don’t stray from the path and suffer like he did. He also reveals that he has been playing low-level club cricket in Norway in order to stay fit and that Salman Butt and Muhammad Amir, his accomplices in the spot-fixing scandal, have been a source of support for him over the last tumultuous five years. “That was a huge mistake and yes it’s a huge regret,” he says about the no-ball he bowled to order. “It’s a mistake that I want to warn the next generation of cricketers about and to ensure they learn from me and to make sure they don’t make the same mistakes that I made. “I will speak with those young players face to face if the International Cricket Council (ICC)and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) want me to and lecture them about what I have faced in these last five years and warn them of the consequences. “The last five years of my life have been very harsh and very hard for me. The toughest part of it was that I couldn’t enter the grounds that I have played cricket all my life on and go out there and play a sport that I have always loved and have a passion for. It wasn’t just tough for me, but it was also a very difficult time for my family. My family offered me a lot of support during these tough times particularly when I was serving time in prison in the United Kingdom.” Asif was found guilty after a four-week trial and sentenced to one year’s imprisonment for conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to help others to cheat at gambling. Although Asif initially denied all charges, he had no option but to admit culpability in 2013 after he had exhausted all legal options. “I never thought that one day I would be sat in a prison cell,” he said. “But such is life, anything is possible. There have been many people who have had tough periods in their life and got through it. It was the same for me, I just wanted to get that tough period of my life over with and move forward. Nelson Mandela is someone who also had to go to prison and he got through that difficult time and he was my inspiration when I was in prison. “Salman [Butt] shared a cell with me for the first couple of months of our sentence before we moved cells and yes that was a help. It was a daunting time and I had no idea what to expect, so yes having a familiar face with me was probably a help. We supported each other in prison especially during the time we shared a cell.