'They just announced whatever names they had in mind' - Kamran Akmal slams PCB over latest central contracts

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Friday, announced the list of centrally contracted players for the 2021-22 season. The board rewarded some of the players for their performers by promoting them while a few had to face the axe from the list due to their poor show on the field. However, Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal is not happy at all with this list and believes a few cricketers deserved to be on the list.

Asad Shafiq, Haider Ali, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Shan Masood and Usman Shinwari were among the cricketers who didn’t get the contract. And Kamran felt some of these cricketers should’ve been in the contract list. He also alleged that the board officials have once again offered contracts based on their likings and dislikings of the players.

“Shan Masood, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Abbas, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez should have got contracts. These players should’ve been backed. The officials didn’t think twice before listing out players in the contracts. It seems like they just wrote whatever names they had in mind and announced them,” he said on his Youtube channel.

Sarfaraz Ahmed deserved better than C grade contract, feels Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal is also of the opinion that former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed should be treated in a better way and he deserved better than C grade contract. Akmal reckoned it is better to not give the wicketkeeper-batsman any contract rather than keeping him in C category. Moreover, he also felt that the Test specialist Azhar Ali should be given the top contract as he is consistent performer in whites.

“Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi were categorized in A grade. I expected Azhar Ali to be part of this grade. He has been a regular player in Test cricket and is playing exceptionally well. Sarfaraz Ahmed was demoted from B to C grade. He shouldn’t have been in C Grade. He led the national team and took the side to No.1 in T20Is. It would’ve been better if he wasn’t given a contract than keeping him in C grade,” Akmal further added.