Azhar was named Test captain this month in place of Sarfaraz Ahmed whose spot as wicketkeeper has been taken by Mohammad Rizwan.
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.
Pakistan spinners Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah took nine wickets in the second innings as the hosts beat Australia by 221 runs in the first Test on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Pakistan's interim head coach, Saqlain Mushtaq would love it if his team got the opportunity to face India again in the final of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
The trophy for their two Twenty20 matches in the Dubai, starting Thursday, is being dedicated in memory of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes, who died last week after being hit on the head by a bouncer during a domestic match.
Pakistan can break World Cup jinx against underperforming India, believes former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas.
Rajneesh Gupta profiles the cricketers playing the World Cup 2019.
Sri Lanka needed a little over 26 overs to chase down a 153-run victory target for a series-levelling seven-wicket victory in the second Test against Pakistan on Monday.
Two Indian batsmen are now in the top five of the ICC ODI rankings, with Virat Kohli remaining at number three and opener Shikhar Dhawan climbing up the ladder to fifth after earning four places in the latest list issued on Wednesday.
A clinical all-round display by the Northern Districts helped them crush Lahore Lions by a whopping 72 runs to all but ensure their entry into the main round of the Champions League T20 in Raipur.
Yet again Pakistan lost to their traditional rivals India in a World Cup match. The loss has not gone down well with their senior players and they have been demanding skipper Mohammed Hafeez's head.
Tom Latham struck his maiden Test century but New Zealand crumbled to 262 all out, conceding a 304-run first-innings lead as well as control of the first Test to Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
In a major crackdown against chucking, a senior official revealed that Pakistan on Thursday suspended 16 domestic bowlers with suspect actions following the ban of ace off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.
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.
Convicted spot-fixer Muhammad Aamir was selected in the Pakistan cricket team that will tour England for a four-Test series for the first time since the spot-fixing scandal broke in 2010. However the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is still awaiting for Aamir's visa approval from the UK High Commission. 24-year-old Aamir has made an impressive comeback in shorter formats and ironically his probable return to Test cricket will happen in the same country where he was arrested for indulging in spot-fixing along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif. Chairman of selectors Inzamam ul Haq said that the board had given clearance to pick Aamir in the side as they had been told his visa would arrive on Monday.
India have emerged winner in all five matches against Pakistan in T20 World Cups, starting from the inaugural World T20 in 2007.
A rejuvenated Pakistan brought their campaign back on track as they rode on Umar Akmal's scintillating 54-ball 94 to register a 16-run victory over tournament favourites Australia in the ICC World T20 in Mirpur on Sunday.
Zimbabwe completed only their 11th Test victory with a dramatic 24-run win over Pakistan at Harare Sports club on Saturday to draw the series 1-1.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji identify the Most Valuable Players of World Cup 2019.
Players with the maximum work load in 2015.
The West Indies Cricket Board has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India to work for a "mutually agreeable solution" over its demand for 26.2 million pounds as compensation for the former's decision to abandon its tour to India.
Younus Khan's prolific bat continued to torment Australia as he struck his third successive Test hundred to put Pakistan in a commanding position on Day 1 of the second and final Test, in Abu Dhabi, on Thursday. The former captain, whose twin centuries in the first Test secured Pakistan's 221-run victory in Dubai, extended his red hot form to hit an unbeaten 111 and helped Pakistan to a strong 304 for two wickets at the close.
Rajneesh Gupta presents us all the numbers that matter in T20 World Cup 2021.
Riding high on Lasith Malinga's five-wicket haul and opener Lahiru Thrimanne's fluent century, Sri Lanka regained the Asia Cup trophy with a comfortable five-wicket victory over defending champions Pakistan in Mirpur on Saturday.
Pakistan's Rahat Ali removed England's top three batsmen as the first Test at Lord's hurtled towards an exciting climax on Sunday's fourth day. At lunch, England were 90 for three in their second innings, needing a further 193 runs to reach their victory target of 283. James Vince was a Test-best 41 not out and the recalled Gary Ballance 15 not out after Rahat had taken three wickets for 36 runs in eight overs. England captain Alastair Cook launched the chase with a four off the very first ball of the innings when he cut a loose Mohammad Amir delivery to the boundary.
With two days remaining and 17 wickets still potentially to fall, a draw looks the probable outcome, although Wahab Riaz's removal of Bell (63) and Mark Wood (4) in successive overs near the close again put the hosts in the ascendancy.
Younis Khan became Pakistan's all-time leading run scorer in Test cricket and Shoaib Malik scored his first century in almost six years, as the home side posted 286-4 at the end of the opening day of the first Test against England in Abu Dhabi.
The National Investigation Agency has arrested four terror associates during searches at 18 locations in Jammu and Kashmir following the registration of a case to unearth a conspiracy hatched by various terror groups to carry out attacks in the Union territory and other major cities, including New Delhi, an official said on Wednesday.
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.
Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmdullah finished as the MVP in the recently-concluded Asia Cup T20 tournament ahead of compatriot Sabbir Rahman, who was named as the man of the series. Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present the latest edition of the MVP rankings.
Sri Lanka's late order batsmen held their nerve to beat Pakistan by two wickets and level the series in a match in which fortunes swung from one side to another in Dubai.
Following reports of three senior Pakistan players misbehaving with fielding coach Grant Luden, it is learned that opener Ahmed Shehzad may be sent home from the World Cup.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji identify the Most Valuable Players at World Cup 2019.
The India right-hander has 862 points in his kitty, still 25 points behind AB de Villiers of South Africa, who is heading the list.
Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq equalled Viv Richards's record for the fasTest Test century while his team stood six wickets away from a memorable 2-0 series win against Australia on Sunday.
The trouble-prone Pakistan cricket team dressing room was once again witness to some drama and it took PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan's intervention to diffuse the controversy generated by Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to rest from the third ODI against Australia.
Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor scored centuries as New Zealand completed their World Cup preparations with a crushing 119-run win over Pakistan in Napier on Tuesday. It was their eighth win in their last 10 completed matches.
Penpix of the Pakistan squad for the 2015 cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq fell just short of his sixth Test century but his team clung on to their slim hopes of salvaging the second Test against Sri Lanka after a stirring rearguard action in Dubai on Saturday.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12 Group 2 match between India and Pakistan, in Dubai, on Sunday.
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