Lahore, Mar 10: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has dropped veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf, former skipper Shoaib Malik, leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and pacer Sohail Tanvir from its central contracts list.

Shockingly, wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal, who cost Pakistan the World Cup match against New Zealand on Tuesday, was placed in the top category in the list.

The board had said last month that Malik and Kaneria would only be given central contracts after getting clearance from the PCB's Integrity Committee, which was set-up following the spot-fixing scandal.

But according to well-placed sources, the duo can be given central contracts if they succeed in satisfying the Integrity Committee, The News reports.

"Malik and Kaneria can get the contract midway, if they get cleared by the integrity committee," a senior official of the board said.

"Previously, Mohammad Amir was given the central contract midway when he burst onto the scene, so there is every possibility that the duo of Malik and Kaneria can get the contracts if the board wants to do so," the official added.

The board has placed the selected players in three categories A, B and C, and the contracts would remain in place for six months starting from January 1 to June 30, 2011.

"The central contracts have been given to 19 players for a period of six months and will be reviewed again for the next six months," the PCB statement said in a statement.

The A category consists of seven players, including Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar, who will receive a monthly salary of 250,000 rupees.

A 175,000-rupee salary will be given to each B category player- Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal and Wahab Riaz.

Taufiq Umar, Asad Shafiq, Ahmed Shahzad, Azhar Ali, Adnan Akmal, Tanvir Ahmed and Junaid Khan are placed in the C category, earning them a monthly salary of 100,000 rupees. (ANI)