Veteran Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has “politely turned down” a contract offered in category C for 2020-21 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday (February 24).
The T20I specialist batsman has reportedly turned down the national contract because he is unhappy at being offered the lowest grade of central contract. The all-rounder has been without a central contract since 2019, while he was offered Category A as a special case given his seniority in 2020.
Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir remain out of the central contract list. Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is in Category B, while Shaheen Afridi and Azhar Ali have moved from B to A, joining Azam in the top category for PKR 1.1 million (US$ 7000 approx.) in the latest contract which was announced after a PCB review of performances last year.
The PCB has also introduced a new “emerging” category for three young players – Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, and Haris Rauf, while Naseem Shah earned a maiden Category C contract.
Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, said in a statement: “Mohammad Hafeez declined the reward and, while I am disappointed, I fully respect his decision. He wants to wait for the PCB central contract 2021-22 list, which he is fully entitled to. Hafeez has been one of our star performers of the season and we hope he will carry the form and momentum to Africa.”
He further added, “The decision to promote the players was made during a meeting with the chair of the selection committee, Mohammad Wasim, while we were reviewing player performances in the 2020-21 season and discussing the upcoming commitments.”
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It was agreed during the meeting that three players were the most deserving and outstanding performers in the season to date and, as such, they needed to be rewarded now instead of waiting for the time when PCB Central Contract List for 2021-22 will be reviewed and announced.”
The PCB CEO signed off by saying, “I am sure this merit and a performance-based decision will once again send out a loud and clear message to all professional cricketers that the PCB will not only recognize, appreciate and acknowledge their performances and achievements but will also reward them so that they can strive to do better next time.”
Hafeez was the world’s top scorer in Twenty20 internationals last year, but he didn’t feature in the recent Twenty20 series against South Africa after failing to join the team in its bio-secure bubble in time.
(With ESPNCricinfo/AP Inputs)
