Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal given World Cup deadline

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal have until December 30 to provide the PCB with the necessary documents to clear their names for World Cup selection.

"The PCB has asked them to submit the documents about their assets and bank accounts by December 30 to be considered in the list of probables for the World Cup," Subhan Ahmad, the board's COO, told APP.

The ICC had extended Pakistan's deadline for the submission of its preliminary 30-member squad for the tournament to January 5, after receiving a request from the board. Kamran and Malik have not played for Pakistan since their controversial tour of England in August and were left out of the tour to the United Arab Emirates. They have also been denied permission to play league cricket in Bangladesh. The PCB has remained fairly tight-lipped about the reasons for their exclusion.

Kamran and Malik had both questioned the board's decision to not clear them for the New Zealand tour. Kamran had written to the ICC asking if he was under investigation and got a clean chit from them. The ICC had sent him and Salman Butt notices during Pakistan's tour of England in August, seeking information about events related to the 2010 World Twenty20 held in May.

Legspinner Danish Kaneria, who has not figured in Pakistan's one-day plans in recent times, was also earlier given until the end of the year to submit his replies to the board's integrity committee's queries, in order to gain clearance to play for the country.

PCB offers central contracts to women cricketers

In what will serve as a boost for women's cricket in Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to offer central contracts to the members of its women's squad who won the gold medal in the inaugural women's cricket tournament at the Asian Games in Guangzhou in southern China in November. Pakistan beat Bangladesh by ten wickets in the final.

The PCB said it would issue 20 one-year contracts, divided in to four categories, from January 1, 2011, but haven't yet specified the amount of money involved. This is the first time that women cricketers will be awarded central contracts in Pakistan, and the move was welcomed by the team captain, Sana Mir.

It's a positive step from the PCB," Mir told AFP. "It (central contracts) was something badly missing and now the PCB has acknowledged that we can play the game professionally and this will spur us on for more achievements."

The women's team came under the control of the PCB in 2005. There are currently around 600 women cricketers in Pakistan under the age of 19 and around 1,200 seniors. The PCB had introduced central contracts for the male cricketers in 2007.

Earlier this month the West Indies Cricket board (WICB) had awarded central retainer contracts to six of its women cricketers for the period October 2010 to September 2011.

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