Ramiz Raja surprised by Mohammad Hasnain’s exclusion from Pakistan’s central contract

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced the central contracts for the 2019-20 season. The same will run from August 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, during which the Men in Green are scheduled to take part in six World Test Championship games, three ODIs and nine T20Is. Previously, there were 33 players in the contract, which has now been pruned to only 19.

The players were divided into three categories — A, B and C. The likes of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez weren’t given contracts but would be available for selection. In the meantime, Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan cricketer, was surprised after Mohammad Hasnain wasn’t included in any of the categories. He is taken aback for the reason that the pacer was in the World Cup squad.

“Pakistan has decided that it wants to move in a new direction based on the performance of some young players, but if we talk about young players then I am surprised that Mohammad Hasnain didn’t get the contract because he was part of Pakistan’s World Cup squad,” Raja was quoted as saying in a video message as per reports in Business Recorder.

Hasnain didn’t get a game in the World Cup

Hasnain came to the limelight after he cranked up the pace for the Quetta Gladiators in the 2019 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Most importantly, he had the chance to perform under Gladiators’ skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, who’s also the captain of the Pakistan team. The Young Turk was soon drafted into the national team and was given his ODI cap during Australia’s tour of the UAE.

In May, the Hyderabad-born made his T20I debut versus England at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. To add to his delight, Hasnain was included for the 2019 World Cup as well. He played the warm-up match against Afghanistan at the County Ground in Bristol and got a solitary wicket.

Unfortunately, the fast bowler didn’t get to play a single match in the main round which came as a surprise to many. With him not getting a contract, Hasnain’s fate in national colours still hangs in the balance. Hasnain is next set to play for the Trinbago Knight Riders in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League.

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