KARACHI (Reuters):

The Pakistan Cricket Board has awarded performance-based central contracts to 20 players, but former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is not among those who will receive the monthly retainers.

Inzamam also does not figure in a shortlist of 20 bench players given smaller retainers based on their performances in domestic cricket.

"The concept of the new contracts is not just based on seniority. Now 40 per cent points will be awarded for performance and the remaining 60 for fitness, discipline and seniority," Zakir Khan, director of cricket operations, told Reuters yesterday.

He said the board had no grudge against Inzamam, who retired from one-day internationals and stepped down from the captaincy after Pakistan's early World Cup exit.

Inzamam has said he wants to continue playing Test cricket.

"If Inzamam is fit he will be considered. We have given those players contracts and retainers who are available for both forms of the game," Khan said.

The board had cancelled the central contracts of its players after they returned from the World Cup. Those contracts were based on seniority.

Injury-prone fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been given a central contract in the A categor he has played just one Test and four one-dayers in the last 14-months.

Other A category contracts

In addition to Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Asif have been given A category contracts which have a monthly salary of 250,000 rupees ($4,166).

Salman Butt, Mohammad Sami, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Danish Kaneria and Kamran Akmal will get 150,000 rupees ($2500) in the B category.

Imran Nazir, Rao Iftikhar, Faisal Iqbal, Misbah ul Haq and Yasir Arafat have been placed in the last category which carries a salary of 100,000 rupees ($1666).

The monthly retainers are in addition to the match and tour fees and other incentives earned by the players.