Mibah-ul-Haq, the chief selector and head coach, said Mohammed Amir, Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz still have a future with Pakistan, despite losing their central contacts.
The pace trio were not named in the list of deals announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday for the next 12 months.
“The selectors have made the tough decisions to leave out Amir, Hasan and Wahab,” Misbah said, according to the PCB website.
“But considering Hasan missed most of the season due to an injury and Amir and Wahab decided to focus on white-ball cricket, this was the right move.
“However, Amir and Wahab are senior and experienced bowlers and they remain in contention.
"We believe they can still contribute to the Pakistan men’s cricket team and also mentor our young battery of fast bowlers.”
Azhar Ali has been retained as the Test captain, while Babar Azam is the limited-overs captain.
Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was formerly the captain in all formats, has been demoted from the top bracket of contracts to a second-tier deal.
“We have some tough cricket lined up over the next 12 months where we will potentially require Sarfaraz’s knowledge and experience,” Misbah said.
“I am delighted for Naseem [Shah, the 17-year-old who has been handed a deal for the first time] and Shaheen [Afridi, promoted to a top bracket contract] who have been well-rewarded for their outstanding performances.
“The two teenagers are the future of Pakistan cricket and I have no doubts that if they remain fit and stay focused, they will dominate world cricket for a long time.
“Their elevation is also a reward for bowling coach Waqar Younis, who has been working tirelessly on them, but there is still a long way to go for them and they have to perform consistently at big stages before they can put their cases of classifying them in the league of bowlers such as Waqar.”
Pakistan’s next assignment is scheduled to be a Test series in the UK this summer.
It remains unclear whether it will go ahead because of the coronavirus crisis.