Lahore, December 23: With the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) considering the names of centrally contracted players for the next season, maverick paceman Shoaib Akhtar is expected to be excluded from the list. According to ‘The Dawn’, Shoaib, who has been out of the national side for quite sometime due to disciplinary and fitness
issues, will miss out on next year’s central contract. ”To get the contract, Shoaib will have to play domestic cricket to prove his fitness and form,” the daily stated.
A two-member committee, consisting of PCB Chief Operating Officer Wasim Bari and Director Cricket Operations Zakir Khan, will finalise the list with the selection committee having no role in giving it a final shape. The 34-year-old fast bowler, however, has Pentangular Cup to prove his fitness, and that also, if he is given a chance to get a place in the Rest of Pakistan team as a special case. Following the recovery of Mohammad Aamir and comeback of Mohammad Asif, the national board has overlooked Shoaib, who has made headlines in the past on many occasions due to his activites on and off the field.
—-Agencies