Central contracts to be awarded by end of January

Contracts to be based on performance - PCB

	With performance rather than seniority having a say in the central contracts, Misbah-ul-Haq might end up the biggest winner

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will ignore ignore players' past status and award new central contracts based purely on "commitment and importance to the team cause". The contracts, according to Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, will be based on a formula devised by the board last year that awards performance over seniority and status.

"We intend to make the central contracts fiercely competitive and a player will have to earn his place in the list regardless of his past status,"

Ashraf told The News.

"We will ignore star value and award the contracts purely on the basis of a player's commitment and importance to the team cause."

The national selection committee has recommended 30 players for the contracts but the PCB will trim the list to 22 players before presenting it to the governing board which is set to meet on January 25.

The central contracts, together with a host of other issues, were discussed in a meeting chaired by Ashraf and attended by a number of senior officials, including Talat Ali, the team's manager, national selectors and several academy coaches.

"The main purpose of the meetings was to find ways to improve team spirit and unity among our players. Everybody was convinced that we cannot improve our performance without having completely disciplined players in the national team,"

Ashraf said.