Opener Saim Ayub scored a quickfire 71 from 38 balls and seamer Faheem Ashraf took 4/23 as Pakistan cruised to a nine-wicket win over South Africa in the second T20I.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has started working on an alternate plan as serious doubts have arisen over Afghanistan's participation in an upcoming T20 Tri-Series amid military conflict between the two countries.
The tourists went to the close on 213 for one in their second innings, but still trail South Africa by 208 runs after they were forced to follow-on having been bowled out for 194 earlier in the day.
Pakistan batter Kamran Ghulam, who on Tuesday scored a resolute century on Test debut, said there was immense pressure on him to perform after taking Babar Azam's place in the team, adding that his perseverance in domestic cricket for the last four years had finally paid off.
Former captain Babar Azam, pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah returned to the Pakistan team for the upcoming white-ball series in Australia.
Pakistan moved themselves into a strong position, needing eight wickets to win while South Africa are chasing an imposing target as the first Test headed for an exciting conclusion.
Young India opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy continued to occupy the top spots among batters and bowlers in the latest ICC Men's T20 Players' Rankings issued on Wednesday.
Babar Azam was dropped on Sunday, while the pace duo Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah opted to withdraw from the remaining two Tests against England.
A flight ticket reveals that Dr. Adil Ahmad, arrested in Saharanpur, traveled from Srinagar to Delhi days before the Red Fort blast, raising questions about his possible involvement.
Ramiz Raja backed Babar Azam to come good in red-ball cricket, saying that he needs to show the world through his temperament that he is like the West Indies batting legend Vivian Richards.
The source, however, disputed Fakhar's tone and said one of the newly inducted selectors, former captain Azhar Ali had spoken to length with Babar on Saturday and explained to him the decision to rest him for the two Tests.
Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf denied any groupings in the dressing room.
Seniors Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are set to make a comeback to Pakistan's ODI team for the tour of South Africa.
India's Arshdeep Singh is in the race for the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year along with Pakistan's Babar Azam, Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza and Australia's Travis Head, the ICC revealed on Sunday.
South Africa fought a rearguard action to turn the second Test against Pakistan on its head and take the upper hand after an enthralling third day's play on Wednesday.
Experienced wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan's captaincy in the 50-overs format could be on the line when a joint meeting of the national selection committee and advisory board of the Pakistan Cricket Board is held on Monday in Lahore.
Ravichandran Ashwin said on Tuesday that star Pakistan batter Babar Azam "should not be mentioned in the same line" as Indian icon Virat Kohli
Babar Azam has resigned as Pakistan's white-ball cricket captain for a second time in 11 months, citing a need to lessen his workload and focus on improving his game.
Babar Azam lost his interest in captaining Pakistan's white ball teams after a critical report submitted by head coach Gary Kirsten to PCB.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam caught up with India's batting great Sunil Gavaskar in the US.
Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam was conspicuous by his absence from the team's training and there was no clarity on his availability for the Champions Trophy clash against India in Dubai on Sunday, even as the country's cricket board chief Mohsin Naqvi urged the side to win "at any cost".
Noman collected a 10-wicket haul during Pakistan's 93-run triumph over South Africa in Lahore recently and moved up four places.
The dismissal marked a significant low point in Azam's otherwise illustrious career.
Jason Gillespie has backed Babar Azam to find his purple patch after his lean form continued in their ongoing series against Bangladesh.
Abbas also acknowledged the consistency displayed by India across formats and said the Rohit Sharma-led team will be a strong contender for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
Pakistan collapsed from 362-5 to 378 all out as Muthusamy finished with Test best figures of 6-117.
The Pakistan Cricket Board in a bid to attract more crowds to the Test match have for the first time announced free entry for several enclosures.
Imam was in a hurry to reach his ton and, attacking the bowling, got an inside edge to Senuran Muthusamy's left-arm spin and was snagged at short leg by Tony de Zorzi's sharp catch.
Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz surpasses Babar Azam, goes level with stalwart Virat Kohli for special feat in ODI
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi summoned white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten to talk about the team's future
The Bangladesh series will be the first stint for former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie as Pakistan's red-ball head coach.
A PCB source however told PTI that recent media speculations about Shan Masood and Babar Azam's sacking is nothing more than kite flying.
Pathan slammed the Pakistan skipper for his knock and felt that Babar didn't help his team's cause.
It is often speculated that the Pakistan team has two factions -- one supporting Skipper Babar Azam, while the other group is loyal to fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair also lashed out, alleging Naqvi dropped Pakistan's top players, leading to team's three consecutive defeats at the hands of arch-rivals India.
The development comes as relations between the two countries showed marked improvement following the four-day military conflict between Pakistan and India in May.
The meeting took place in Lahore where Young is on a private visit.
Under Rohit Sharma, India won the 2018 and 2023 ODI Asia Cup, runners-up position in the 2023 World Cup at home and triumphed in the the ICC Champions Trophy in March.
Opener Pathum Nissanka struck 68 as Sri Lanka beat Hong Kong by four wickets in their Asia Cup match in Dubai on Monday.
With stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan sidelined, it will be a test of character for the Salman Agha-led Pakistan side.
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