ISLAMABAD — All-rounder Shahid Afridi and batsman Younus Khan were surprisingly awarded Category A contracts by the Pakistan Cricket Board Tuesday, plus a pay rise of 15 percent. Both players, with more than 500 One-Day Internationals between them, were dropped on form for next month's Champions Trophy in England and Wales, but will be given monthly retainers of around $3,600. Afridi, retired from Tests, still hopes to play in the 2015 World Cup, while Younus is wanted for Tests. Test and ODI captain Misbahul Haq, Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal were the only others to receive Category A contracts. Fast bowler Umar Gul, Umar Akmal and Abdur Rehman were demoted to Category B, worth $2,500 a month, along with five other players. Gul had been ruled out of the Champions Trophy due to injury, but it was another PCB surprise that the paceman was demoted from Category A despite consistently playing in all three formats of the game. Test opener Taufeeq Umar and fast bowler Aizaz Cheema, who were in Category B previously, were demoted to Category C. The Akmal brothers, Kamran and Adnan, were among eight players in Category C for retainers of $1,400 each. Left-handed opening batsman Nasir Jamshed was promoted from C to B. The PCB also awarded stipends of $700 to nine players. All 30 contracts were only for this year. After the Champions Trophy, Pakistan tours West Indies, and then hosts South Africa and Sri Lanka. Last year, the PCB gave players a raise of 25 percent after renewing their 2009 contracts. Test match fees were also increased by the PCB by about $550. Category A players will get around $4,400 per Test, Category B player around $3,850, and Category C players $3,300. Classifications: Category A: Misbahul Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Younus Khan, Shahid Afridi. Category B: Umar Gul, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Malik, Nasir Jamshed. Category C: Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Irfan, Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar, Aizaz Cheema, Adnan Akmal, Faisal Iqbal, Ahmed Shahzad. Stipend: Sarfaraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil, Umar Amin, Zulifqar Babar, Asad Ali, Harris Sohail, Anwar Ali. Ireland unchanged for Pakistan ODI series Ireland coach Phil Simmons Tuesday named an unchanged squad for the two upcoming One-Day International matches against Pakistan, which is using the series as a warm-up for the Champions Trophy. Simmons has kept faith with the squad that moved a step closer to qualifying for the 2015 World Cup with back-to-back wins over United Arab Emirates in March. Ireland's only 50-over success against Pakistan arrived at the 2007 World Cup but it suffered a 2-0 home series defeat in Belfast two years ago. It will be without all-rounder John Mooney for the opener on May 23, after he was banned following Twitter comments he made about the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Ireland squad: William Porterfield (captain), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien (wkt), James Shannon, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Andrew White, Gary Wilson. South Africa calls up Petersen to replace Smith Opener Alviro Petersen will replace the injured Graeme Smith in the South Africa squad for next month's ICC Champions Trophy, Cricket South Africa confirmed Tuesday. Petersen is a regular in the Test squad but has made just 17 ODI appearances since his debut in 2006 with a modest average of 31. CSA Selection Convener Andrew Hudson believes that Petersen's stellar early-season form with English county side Somerset will be a major asset at the June 6-23 tournament being staged in England and Wales. — Agencies
