Akhtar, Sami set to lose central contracts

PCB Chairman Nasim Ashraf has made it clear that the new contracts will be given those players who have shown form, fitness and commitment in recent series.

Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami are likely to lose their central contracts when the Pakistan Cricket Board's governing body take a decision in this regard in its meeting on Friday.

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Fitness issues and their modest form in the recent India tour would be the reason behind the two senior players losing out in the list of new centrally contracted players, sources said.

PCB Chairman Nasim Ashraf has made it clear that the new contracts will be given those players who have shown form, fitness and commitment in recent series.

"This is the first time we are giving out the contracts for a year instead on short-term basis. So we are laying a lot of emphasis on only giving contracts to those players who we know will come through for Pakistan over the next 12 months," Ashraf said.

The meeting will also announce a new vice-captain, besides announcing a policy on the ban to play domestic cricket on players who have aligned with the 'rebel' Indian Cricket League and action on the Indian tour reports of manager Talat Ali and coach Geoff Lawson.

Talat had made some critical remarks on seniors like Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Akhtar but Ashraf said there was nothing personal in the report and it included only facts and observations.