Butt yet to give nod to central contracts

Butt yet to give nod to central contracts

Lahore: PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt has still not approved the new list of central contracts to be awarded to players for the second half of the year.
PCB sources told that while the selection committee members and the Board's own officials have submitted the list of players to Butt, but the Chairman has not yet given his approval.

"Apparently Butt wants to have discussions on the list submitted to him before he gives approval," one source said.
The source said the main issue surrounding the award of the new contracts appears to be the case and availability of former captain Shoaib Malik.
Malik and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria are due to appear before the Board's integrity committee on August 15, seeking clearance to play for Pakistan again.
Sources say all indications are that the board will clear Malik as he has finally submitted all the documents the integrity committee had asked him to do with reference to an amount of 90,000 pounds in one of his bank accounts.
The selectors surprised everyone by naming Malik among the reserves for the coming Zimbabwe tour.
"There is a feeling that since the integrity committee is due to meet on August 15 and the team does not leave for Zimbabwe until around August 24th the name of Malik be added in the central contracts list," the source said.
He confirmed that wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and retired players Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar did not figure in the list of players who will get the contracts.
Butt has the final authority to approve the contracts given to the players. This year the board had announced it would award the contracts on half-yearly basis.