Mohammad Wasim has clarified the reason for all-rounder Faheem Ashraf’s exclusion from central contracts, stating that the contract was awarded based on last year’s performance and that playing for the team does not guarantee inclusion in the central contracts.
“Playing for the team does not guarantee a player’s inclusion in the central contracts. The criteria are straightforward, and they include performance over the previous 12 months, our plans for the next 12 months, and the role in the team, as well as the automatic selection.”
The chief selector went on to say that the all-rounder was included in the squad for the Sri Lanka series because he was part of the board’s future plans, but the central contract calls for other things like commitment, fitness, and how much a cricketer participates in domestic cricket.
Wasim further added that it is wrong to believe that the board only favors those players who are part of central contracts because there are many players who play for the national team without contracts.
While answering a question regarding Imam-ul-Haq’s inclusion in category B in white-ball cricket despite claiming the second spot in the ICC ODI rankings, he stated that the board promoted him from category C to B due to this.
It is worth noting that the board faced severe criticism after failing to award the central contract to Faheem Ashraf despite the fact that he has been a key member of the national team in recent years.
