Sohail, Yasir handed central contracts

Fast bowler Sohail Khan and legpspinner Yasir Shah have been awarded central contracts in category D by the PCB till March 31, while senior batsman Younis Khan has been retained in category A.

As the terms of the previous contract, awarded to 31 players in June last year, expired on December 31, the PCB decided to extend the players' central contracts by three more months, till the end of the World Cup.

Younis had been originally downgraded to a category B contract last year but was promoted to A a few days later. In September, he was dropped for the ODI series against Australia in the UAE, raising questions over the future of his international career, with the batsman himself lashing out at the PCB. However, Younis batted himself back into form and World Cup contention with a stellar performance in the Tests against Australia and New Zealand, scoring four hundreds - including a double-century - and a fifty in five matches.

Sohail was one of the surprise inclusions in Pakistan's 15-man squad for the World Cup, having not played for the country since 2011. He, however, was given a spot in the team on the back of a strong domestic season in which he ended as the leading wicket-taker in the Quaid-e-Azam Gold League, with 64 scalps at an average of 22. Yasir's inclusion in the squad also raised eyebrows as it meant Pakistan would be travelling without a specialist offspinner, but Moin defended the pick as a "pure cricketing decision", calling Yasir a "wicket-taking bowler and a good prospect."

The central contracts for 2015 will be awarded from April 1.

Category A: Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Junaid Khan

Category B: Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul

Category C: Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Adnan Akmal, Khurram Manzoor, Nasir Jamshed, Abdur Rehman

Category D: Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfraz Ahmed, Bilawal Bhatti, Sharjeel Khan, Zulfiqar Babar, Fawad Alam, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Raza Hasan, Umar Amin, Haris Sohail, Rahat Ali, Shaan Masood, Mohammad Talha, Anwar Ali, Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan

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I'm fit and hungry' - Younis

Younis Khan has said that he will continue to play as long as he is fit and is able to sustain his hunger for the game. The 37-year old Younis, who made a comeback to the one-day side after being dropped last September, also ruled out focusing on only Tests to prolong his career.

"I don't have such thing to just play Test matches. My body is in front of you, I don't get stiffness in my body. Whenever I will feel that my body is not allowing me to play I will go and retire," Younis said in Lahore. "I have some plans and I hope I succeed in them. I don't get this life back and it makes you happy when your national anthem is played in other countries. I am a proud Pakistani and will try to serve my country. I will continue to play as long as I am fit."

Younis also did not feel any need to move down the order for the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand conditions. Nearly half of Younis' ODI career has been spent in the No. 3 position and that was where he wanted to continue, he said.

"I have been playing at No. 3 since 2004. I have no such thinking that there will be two new balls in Australia and [that I should] bat down the order. I will be very happy to bat at this position, like Imran Khan used to in 1992. I will be very happy if I repeat that and score runs for the team at No. 3."

While acknowledging that conditions would be different during the World Cup, Younis felt Pakistan had as good a chance as teams such as Australia and South Africa. "In the subcontinent, the pitches are skiddy and subcontinent teams do struggle when they play outside their own territory. But other teams like South Africa, England and Australia play well there. [But] with the new rule where five fielders are inside the circle, I think it will be good for us. I think Pakistan team has chances equal to Australia and South Africa's to win the World Cup."

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