Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq paid tribute to his batsmen after beating England by 178 runs in the second Test on Monday.
Cricketer-turned-cop, Joginder Sharma is on the frontline in the battle against the highly contagious disease, as India is under a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19.
'I think as it is we are facing a shortage of quality talent so what is coming through needs to be groomed properly by our former greats. They can do a lot with these young players'
Pakistan lost the T20 series before the 101-run defeat in the first Test.
Having conceded a 121-run lead in the first innings, the Caribbean side began their charge in the final session on Day 4.
Pakistan veteran all-rounder Shahid Afridi said that the Misbah-ul-Haq led team has the ability and confidence to break the World Cup jinx against defending champions India in the much-anticipated upcoming clash at Adelaide on Sunday.
Misbah also felt that the top order of both teams would play a decisive role in the series as bowling of both teams was top class.
Australia have named the unchanged 12-man squad for the second Test of the three-match series against Pakistan beginning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Boxing Day. The Steve Smith-led side are going with the same side that clinched a nail-biting 39-run win after Pakistan's epic run chase in the opening day and night Test at the Gabba, cricket.com.au reported.
Younis Khan and Azhar Ali struck centuries to punish a sloppy Bangladesh and power Pakistan to a strong 323 for three wickets on the first day of the second and final Test on Wednesday.
Wasim at one stage asked Babar and Misbah whether the players felt the tour should be called off in the given conditions.
Shan Masood was wrongly adjudged LBW in 2nd Test vs New Zealand in Dubai last month.
Play was called off in the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Sharjah on Thursday following the death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq admitted being under tremendous pressure to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals but felt the burden now shifts to their last-eight opponents and tournament co-hosts Australia.
Images from Pakistan's 129-run victory over the UAE in Wednesday's World Cup Group B match in Napier.
The recall of Steve O'Keefe for a twin-spin attack and inclusion of debutant batting all-rounder Hilton Cartwright gives Australia the look of a team getting an early start on preparations for a tour of the sub-continent.
Khurram Manzoor and Younus Khan scored half centuries as Pakistan made a strong reply to Zimbabwe's first innings total of 294 on the second day of the second Test at the Harare Sports Club, on Wednesday. At the close, Pakistan were 163 for 3, with Younus unbeaten on 52 and captain Misbah-ul-Haq on 27.
The selectors have also put Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz on standby to cover for any player who fails pre-tour COVID-19 Testing scheduled later this month.
South Africa will have to dig deep if they are to avoid defeat in the first Test after being reduced to 72 for four wickets in their second innings, still trailing Pakistan by 121 runs, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Amid a cloud of uncertainty over resumption of Indo-Pak cricketing ties, Pakistan's coach Waqar Younis has said he is optimistic about a bilateral series in December and firmly believes regular cricket can help reduce tensions between the two countries.
Ahmed Shehzad hit a career-best 176 while Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq struck unbeaten centuries before Pakistan declared their first innings on 566 for 3 wickets in the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had made it clear to their Bangladesh counterparts that it will not host them on a neutral venue during the upcoming home series in January-February.
Pakistan named Babar Azam as their new captain in one-day internationals, putting the elegant batsman in charge of both their limited-overs teams after a stellar year with the bat. The top order batsman, who took over Twenty20 captaincy earlier this year, succeeds Sarfaraz Ahmed as Pakistan's white-ball leader while Azhar Ali also got an extension as skipper of the Test side for the 2020-21 season.
Pakistan's senior batsman and former captain Shoaib Malik has said maverick all-rounder Shahid Afridi is the best person to replace Misbah-ul-Haq as skipper for next year's World Cup.
Ramiz hit out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for reintegrating players such as Mohammad Amir, who has served prison time and a long ban from the game for involvement in spot-fixing, into the national team setup. The former opener felt allowing tainted players back into the sport has damaged Pakistan cricket.
England Women to tour Pakistan for first time in October.
Opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad struck his maiden Test hundred but Pakistan's hopes of a series-equalling victory looked distant on the third day of the third and final Test on Saturday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board is planning to hold the remaining matches of PSL-5 in November provided the situation arising out of the coronavirus pandemic improves in the next few months, PCB CEO Wasim Khan said. The PSL was suspended last Tuesday after the PCB revealed that a foreign player showed symptoms of the coronavirus, but Khan said the remaining matches may be held during the 10-day window available in November.
Despite the length of his service in the international game, having made his debut in 1999, Shoaib remains one of the fittest members of his squad. It's clear that sheer vanity plays a part in him having maintained such high physical standards.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)has sought the permission of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to play their proposed bilateral series with India on a mutually agreed neutral venue.
After escaping a 39-run victory over Pakistan in the Gabba Test, Australian skipper Steve Smith on Monday said the "game was a bit close for his liking". The hosts struck Pakistan's last two wickets quickly to clinch win before tea on day five of the opening day and night Test of the three-match. "I've lost all my fingernails, I think," Smith was quoted as saying by news.com.au. "It was a bit too close for my liking. Some game of cricket wasn't it?"
'We all want to do well for Pakistan but at times some of the criticism and tongue lashing on the channels is below the belt and its affects the players'
Mickey Arthur feels his reputation took a big hit when he was sacked as head coach of Australia three years ago but the Pakistan mentor says he is not on a "revenge mission" as he prepares to take on his former charges.
Opener Ahmed Shehzad missed out on a deserved century but Pakistan cruised past United Arab Emirates by 129 runs in their ICC World Cup Pool B clash.
The 27-page code was approved at the last meeting of the PCB's Board of Governors and aims to cover every individual working with the Board and the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Six of the 10 Pakistan cricketers bound for England who tested positive for COVID-19 have now registered negative results on re-testing, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday. Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz, however, must return a second negative result before they can join the main squad of 20 players who will leave for England on Sunday.
Young Pakistan batsman Haider Ali wants to hit the ball as clean as his inspiration Rohit Sharma does and emulate the Indian limited-overs vice-captain in scoring double hundreds frequently. Ali, who rose to prominence with his exploits in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, has got his maiden national call-up for the tour of England.
Rajput believes that makes now the right time to bring young players into his aging squad.
Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and as many T20Is. The first of three-match Test series is slated to get underway from July 30
With the word divided on Pakistan's leadership in 2015 World Cup between Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Aridi, former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq said that it's too late to meddle with the national captaincy with just over a 100 days remaining for the showpiece event.
Pakistan have long been regarded as a talented yet inconsistent side, but through a combination of sheer hard work, application and a little help from some inclement Caribbean weather, the South Asian side sit atop the test rankings for a first time.
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