Rebel Shoaib Akhtar has been awarded a PCB central contract

Posted by Admin
January 7, 2009

After all his years of conflict, argument and struggle with the PCB over money, drugs and discipline, it seems that the rebel Shoaib Akhtar has been awarded a PCB central contract. The contract form the PCB is thought to be worth $3,000 per month in addition to match fees and represents a change in fortune for Akhtar, who has played very little cricket over the last couple of years.

So after all the problems caused by Akhtar, why have the PCB awarded him a contract? It seems that the senior (or should we say better) players in the Pakistan team have been awarded the A-Class contracts, others in this group include Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul.

PCB COO Salim Altaf commented that the PCB was keen to make sure senior players got contracts and so were available to improve the team’s performance; both team manager Intikhab Alam and senior selector Abdul Qadir were also thought to have played a major role in the awarding of the contract to Akhtar.

Thirty-three year-old Akhtar will be keen to resume his career which has been blighted by injury, illness and suspensions. Akhtar (also known as the “Rawalpindi Express”) played only a few Twenty 20 internationals in 2008. Akhtar was given a 5 year ban by the PCB after complaining of not being awarded a contract in 2007; the ban was later reduced and then suspended on appeal, but Akhtar will have to be on his best behaviour if he is not to be banned again.

Akhtar has also been in trouble with the board over drugs; in 2006 he was banned for using the substance Nandrolone. He was given a ban but again this was overturned on appeal.

Akhtar is one of the fastest bowlers in the world and has taken 178 wickets in 46 tests and 219 wickets in 138 one-day internationals. Akhtar also plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.

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