Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq steadied the Pakistan second innings with an unbroken 113-run stand after their team appeared to be heading for a heavy defeat by losing three quick wickets in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Dubai on Friday.
Azhar's obdurate 193-ball stay at the crease helped his side plod slowly towards the hosts' first-innings total of 312 at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown to stand 140 runs behind with seven wickets in hand at the close.
Former batting great Sunil Gavaskar believes India and Pakistan must start a dialogue to pave the way for the revival of regular matches between India and Pakistan.
Former captain Javed Miandad has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board not to send a team in next year's World T20 in India if the BCCI does not agree to the proposed bilateral series in December.
Pakistan have been forced to play most of their 'home' matches in the United Arab Emirates, but have hosted teams such as Zimbabwe and West Indies in recent years.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is still hopeful of hosting Sri Lanka for a limited-overs tour this month despite alleged terrorist threats.
Flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi was, on Tuesday, named Pakistan's new Twenty20 captain until the 2016 World T20, and Misbah ul Haq retained Test and ODI skipper until the 2015 50-over World Cup.
Brian Vitori grabbed five wickets and opener Tino Mawoyo scored a half-century as Zimbabwe took control of the second Test against Pakistan with a 185-run lead on Thursday.
Pakistan spinner Abdur Rehman had a spell to forget in the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh on Tuesday. The left-armer sent down a three consecutive illegal full tosses and finished with bizarre bowling figures of 0-0-8-0.
Former Pakistan pace spearhead Wasim Akram has called on his compatriots to win their next World Cup game or get ready to go back home early.
Pakistan cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq continues to rue the fact that he hasn't been able to captain his side in a Test in Pakistan.
Pakistan crushed Bangladesh by 328 runs on Saturday to win their final Test with a day to spare.
ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson on Wednesday made it clear that international cricket can return to Pakistan only after the security situation improves in the country. Richardson was speaking at a press conference held after he presented the ICC Test Championship mace to Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq at the Gaddafi stadium here for bagging the number one position in the ICC rankings.
The Pakistani Taliban has reportedly issued a challenge to the country's media to stop the praise of retired Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and instead get behind Pakistani captain Misbah-ul Haq, whom they branded as ''sub-standard'' and a ''low-level player''.
Australia enter their World Cup quarter-final as runaway favourites against Pakistan in Adelaide on Friday, but will be wary of an enigmatic team that have proved a major thorn in their side at past tournaments.
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will not rush into a decision about their upcoming tour of England amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Chief Executive Wasim Khan said. England are scheduled to host the South Asian side for three Tests from July 30, followed by three Twenty20 internationals, but with the UK struggling to contain coronavirus, Wasim said they would wait a few more weeks before confirming a decision.
Younis Khan's superb 218 put Pakistan in a strong position before they picked up four England wickets to take complete control on the third day of the fourth and final Test at The Oval on Saturday.
Batting at No. 9, Wahab Riaz struck a quickfire half-century before he returned to claim four wickets with the ball to lift Pakistan to a narrow 20-run victory.
Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq will be paid a whopping Rupees One million per month for helping the suspended Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal to undergo correctove measures in his illegal bowling action.
Senior Pakistani cricketers have taken great umbrage at the remarks made by PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan that the absence of educated players in the national team has led to recent poor performances. Senior batsman Muhammad Hafeez said cricket itself is a complete education. "I am proud to be a Test cricketer and for me this is my degree," Hafeez said on the social media a clear reference to Khan's remarks. Making it obvious that he did not agree with Khan's views, Hafeez said while education was very important for everyone but earning degrees was not enough in life. Hafeez expressed confidence that Pakistan's Test squad would perform well even in English conditions. The experienced batsman is not attending the boot camp in Kakul as he is undergoing rehabilitation for a knee problem at the national academy in Lahore.
In the final, Gambhir had played a match-winning knock of 75 runs off just 54 balls.
Despite losing their first Asia Cup encounter against arch-rivals India, Pakistan's former T20 captain Misbah-ul-Haq feels Shahid Afridi's boys look in good shape for the crucial World T20 to be held in India in March. "Pakistan's bowlers made 83 look difficult against a strong batting team like India. It is something that will encourage them in the next games. They shouldn't lose hope because of the defeat against India," said Misbah in his blog for cricket.com.au. "After this bowling performance I think the pressure on our batsmen will be less. The batsmen need to understand that the pitches in the Asia Cup are different from the Pakistan Super League and even if they score 130 or 140 their bowlers can defend it," the skipper of Pakistan's Test side added. Misbah also hailed India's performance against Pakistan on Saturday and called them one of the favourites to lift the World T20 title.
On a day when Brendon McCullum broke the record for the fastest Test hundred, Suresh Raina said he couldn't be happier to have the Kiwi swashbuckler in his IPL team Gujarat Lions even though he wants an Indian to breach the milestone.
Waqar's chances of being named bowling coach appeared strong after another former Test bowler Muhammad Akram withdrew his application
India can rely on their spinners to reclaim the World Twenty20 title, says Joginder Sharma, the hero of country's win against Pakistan in the inaugural edition's final.
Unwilling to give up on a seemingly jinxed series against India, Pakistan Cricket Board's Executive Committee Chairman Najam Sethi said the PCB can spare a fortnight for the matches should the Indian government give its go ahead.
Pakistan cricket chief on Tuesday gave a clean chit to chief selector Moin Khan over his visit to a Christchurch Casino a day before the team's defeat at the hands of the West Indies at the ongoing World Cup.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq tells Chandresh Narayanan that his team will break the jinx that has haunted them in five of the last six editions when they take on India in their World Cup opener on February 15.
Former Pakistan pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar has said that current skipper Misbah-ul Haq needs to adopt Imran Khan's frontline approach employed by the captain in 1992 if the 2015 squad wants to win this year's Cricket World Cup.
The short bilateral cricket series between India and Pakistan will be held between December 24 and January 5 if the much-anticipated rubber gets the green signal from the Indian government this week.
PCB Cricket Committee to take decisions on splitting captaincy, inviting applications for new coach
The Pakistani cricket authorities have still not given up hope of playing a bilateral 'home' series with India in December in the United Arab Emirates.
Sri Lanka lost early wickets in their second innings but extended their lead to 220 runs over Pakistan in the third and final Test in Sharjah to boost their chances of a series victory.
Debutant fast bowler Bilawal Bhatti dismissed experienced duo Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in consecutive deliveries as Pakistan strengthened their hold on the first Test against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Encouraged by a recent ICC statement on the importance of Indo-Pak cricket ties, the PCB has now sought the assistance of the ICC President Zaheer Abbas to convince India to play in December.
Pakistani selectors have named experienced opener Taufeeq Umar and senior batsman Younis Khan in a 19-member squad for the two-Test series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates, starting next week.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has written a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India inquiring about the scheduled bilateral series in December to be held in the United Arab Emirates and has also asked them to keep politics away from cricket.
Pakistan is trying to convince Australia for a Test series in Pakistan in 2022.
Khurram Manzoor was unbeaten on 131 and Pakistan ended on 263 for three, a lead of 14 runs over South Africa who were bowled out for 249 early in the morning session.
