Former captain Younis Khan has been left out of Pakistan's Test and One-day squads for the tour of England despite being eligible for international cricket again after having an indefinite ban for ill-discipline overturned.
Mazhar Majeed, the UK based bookie who was at the centre of spot-fixing scandal three month back, claimed that four more Pakistani players were involved in fixing international matches besides the suspended trio of Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir.
Rajneesh Gupta picks instances of sledging which backfired spectacularly.
Saeed Ajmal captured four wickets on Thursday as Pakistan's spinners combined to reduce West Indies to 209 for nine at the close of the opening day of the first Test.
Statistical highlights of the World Cup match between Pakistan and Canada in Colombo.
Rauf's central contract may be 'restored'
Pakistan will make two changes for the crucial Asia Cup match against India on Wednesday, replacing Wahab Riaz and Mansoor Amjad with Abdul Rauf and off spinner Saeed Ajmal.
Light rain delayed the start of the tri-series final between India and Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.
Debutant pacemen Abdul Rauf and Wahab Riaz shared five wickets to dismiss Zimbabwe for 181 in 45.4 overs after they had elected to bat first in the fifth and final ODI on Saturday.
Misbah insisted that the right decision had been taken keeping in mind past performances and the coming workload of the national team.
Australia romped into the semi-finals of the cricket World Cup, trouncing Pakistan by six wickets in the third quarter-final at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. They will meet defending champions India, who beat Bangladesh, in the second semi-final slated for March 26.
West Indies number 11 Jason Holder smashed 14 runs off the final over to earn his side a dramatic tie with Pakistan in the third one-day international at Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia on Friday.
'The players are playing the situation, whatever the teams need at that time. Players are professionals, so they tend to mould into that situation rather than thinking too much about who we are playing. It's a ball and bat and you just want to perform with those.'
Mahela Jayawardene scored four streaky runs in his last Test, as Pakistan's bowlers dismantled Sri Lanka's first innings on the opening day of the second and final match, in Colombo, on Thursday.
Four other players -- Kashif Bhatti, Haris Rauf, Haider Ali and Imran Khan -- tested positive for the second time earlier this week.
'Someone's got to do it and I might put my hand up. It's part of the game and what happened the other day with Shane (Watson) and Wahab (Riaz) was exceptional'
'International cricket is incomplete without Pakistan.'
Coach Waqar Younis said the leg-spinner is being considered as a replacement for injured fast bowler Mohammad Irfan for the World Cup quarter-final match against Australia.
Pakistan will open their innings in Sunday's World Cup match against India with Younis Khan in an attempt to accommodate leg-spinner Yasir Shah, and also include talented youngsters Umar Akmal and Sohaib Maqsood in the final eleven.
Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo frustrated Pakistan's bowlers with a defensive and patient batting display on a slow pitch but West Indies still trailed by 264 runs at the end of the third day of the first day-night Test in Dubai on Saturday.
Skipper Kane Williamson and fellow opener Martin Guptill forged the highest partnership in Twenty20 Internationals to secure New Zealand a series-levelling 10-wicket victory against Pakistan in the second match in Hamilton on Sunday.
The Pakistan cricket squad was allowed to leave their managed isolation facility in Christchurch after getting clearance from New Zealand's Health Ministry on Tuesday.
Seasoned Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi has been issued a show cause notice, among five other international players from Pakistan, by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for featuring in a commercial without taking permission from the board.
Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz has heaped praise on Boxing Day Test centurion Azhar Ali, saying the opener is `one of the greatest batsmen` the country has ever produced. Azhar (unbeaten at 139) struck his 12th Test century and first Down Under besides sharing an unbeaten 115-run stand with Asad Shafiq (50) to guide Pakistan to 310-6 at the end of the rain-curtailed second day's play of the second match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka registered a 35-run victory over Pakistan in the second T20I
The role of outside elements including agents of players and some former players who ran social media campaigns also have not helped ease the simmering tensions in the team.
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.
Buoyed by their spectacular win over Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of this season's campaign, Kolkata Knight Riders will take on spirited qualifiers Lahore Lions in their second game of the Champions League Twenty20 in Hyderabad on Sunday.
India launched their campaign in the Champions Trophy with a resounding 124-run victory over Pakistan, in Birmingham on Sunday, extending their dominance over the arch-rivals in major International Cricket Council tournaments.
Asad Shafiq's seventh hundred and a belligerent 96 from Sarfraz Ahmed helped give Pakistan a sizeable lead against Sri Lanka on the fourth day of the opening Test at Galle on Saturday.
Embattled Pakistan finally opened their account in the World Cup as they laboured to a narrow 20-run win over a spirited Zimbabwe in a Pool B match in Brisbane on Sunday.
Pakistan's World Cup winning captain Imran Khan took to a social networking site to console the crestfallen Pakistanis after Sunday's defeat to India in Adelaide.
The West Indies' fast bowlers produced a ruthless display to dismiss Pakistan for a disappointing 105 in their World Cup opener at Trent Bridge on Friday. In reply, Chris Gayle led the chase, scoring 50 ff 34 deliveries, as the meagre target was overhauled in 13.4 overs.
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi produced a brilliant performance with both bat and ball to lead his team to a thumping 126-run victory over West Indies in their first One-day International on Sunday.
Umar Akmal played a stunning cameo of 18-ball unbeaten 38 as Lahore Lions beat defending champions Mumbai Indians by six wickets in their opening qualifying round match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Raipur on Saturday.
Alex Hales scored an excellent 109 to lead England to an emphatic 95-run victory over Pakistan in the second One-day international in Abu Dhabi on Friday that levelled the series at 1-1.
Pakistani cricketers congratulated the World Cup-winning former captain for leading his party to power in the country's general elections.
With no Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian line-up, the 'Men In Blue' are missing a trick. And despite Mohammed Shami's brilliance in the warm-up game against Australia on the other day in Brisbane, the bowling unit doesn't inspire much confidence.
India and Pakistan meet in their opening World Cup match at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. Ahead of what promises to be a thrilling contest here's a fact-file on the teams.
The marquee cricket World Cup match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in Adelaide on February 15 will be the most watched in the history of the game as it is expected to attract more than a billion viewers, according to a report.
