KARACHI — Experienced duo Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq missed out on central contracts Saturday when the Pakistan Cricket Board announced a list of 21 players who will receive pay increases.

Players will get a 25 percent increase in their monthly contract retainers and another 10 percent hike in their match fees.

“After three years we have increased the fees payable to the players which we hope will be a morale boost for them,” PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf said in a statement.

“We have also given recognition to those players who have distinguished themselves with consistent performances in the domestic circuit. We have also recognized Under-19 players in the list and this will serve as a huge encouragement for them.”

All-rounders Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik were given contracts but fast bowler Mohammad Sami was another surprise exclusion.

Pakistan’s one-day and Test captain Misbahul Haq, Younus Khan, Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman also retained their places in the ‘A’ Category and will receive a monthly salary of 313,000 rupees ($3,400) per month.

Umar Akmal was elevated from ‘B’ to the ‘A’ grade.

Malik, however, was placed in the ‘B’ category along with Taufiq Umar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan and Aizaz Cheema. The players in the ‘B’ category will get a monthly salary of 218,000 rupees.

Malik, 29, was left out of the central contracts last year as he was under investigation by a PCB committee tasked with scrutinizing players in the wake of the 2010 spot-fixing scandal.

Sarfraz Ahmed and Adnan Akmal along with Hammad Azam, Wahab Riaz, Imran Farhat, Faisal Iqbal and Nasir Jamshed were placed in the ‘C’ Category, with players in that category getting 130,000 rupees per month.

The PCB has also given 21 players a monthly stipend. — Agencies