Muhammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naveed are omitted from the list of 37 cricketers who have been awarded central contracts.

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board stuck to its decision of banishing Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan as it announced central contracts for national cricketers on Friday.

However, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal and Kamran Akmal, the three players fined and put on six-month probations, were among the list of 37 players who will be offered the year-long contracts.

The contracts, devised in consultation with Chairman Selection Committee Mohsin Hasan Khan, will be valid from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010, the board said in a statement.

Afridi and Kamran were included in the top bracket (‘A’ category) in addition to pacers Umar Gul and Mohammad Asif, opener Salman Butt, all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria.

Young fast bowler Mohammad Aamer was surprisingly offered a ‘B’ category contract despite having a successful year in all forms of the game. The second category also includes Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Faisal Iqbal, Misbahul Haq and Imran Farhat.

Fawad Alam, Yasir Arafat, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz and Abdul Rehman were awarded ‘C’ category contracts.

In addition to the three categories, the board has introduced a special ‘stipend’ category, which has been offered to top domestic and under-19 cricketers.

The players in this category are: Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Aamir Sajjad, Naveed Yasin, Azhar Ali, Khalid Latif, Khurram Manzoor, Tanveer Ahmad, Sarfraz Ahmad, Zulqarnain Haider, Umair Khan, Mohammad Talha, Shahzaib  Hasan, Azeem Ghumman, Hammad Azam, Baber Azam, Raza Hasan, Sarmad Bhatti, Usman Qadir

Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Aamir Sajjad, Naveed Yasin, Azhar Ali and Tanvir Ahmad are among the top performers in the 2009 domestic season while Azeem Ghumman, Hammad Azam, Baber Azam, Raza Hasan, Sarmad Bhatti and Usman Qadir were members of Pakistan U-19 team that reached the final of the U-19 World Cup.

Category ‘A’: Umar Gul, Salman Butt, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal

Category ‘B’: Umar Akmal, Mohammad Aamir, Saeed Ajmal, Faisal Iqbal, Misbahul Haq, Imran Farhat

Category ‘C’: Fawad Alam, Yasir Arafat, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Rehman

‘Stipend’ category: Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Aamir Sajjad, Naveed Yasin, Azhar Ali, Khalid Latif, Khurram Manzoor, Tanveer Ahmad, Sarfraz Ahmad, Zulqarnain Haider, Umair Khan, Mohammad Talha, Shahzaib  Hasan, Azeem Ghumman, Hammad Azam, Baber Azam, Raza Hasan, Sarmad Bhatti, Usman Qadir