Desai, who has been handed a two-year contract, has joined the team before the the first T20 International on Friday.
The press briefing seemed a deliberate decision to let the army convey its angst to Imran directly, observes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RAW, India's external intelligence agency.
The former Pakistan captain said he is aware that expectations would be high but he is confident he can work well with some of the most talented and exciting cricketers in the country.
Pakistan's head coach Waqar Younis is confident that his new-look team would be able to break the jinx of not winning against India in major ICC events when they lock horns in the upcoming World T20, which begins right after the Asia Cup T20.
Sarfaraz Ahmed said that the PCB left it to the players to make the final call on travelling to England for the Test and T20 series.
Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal will miss the first Twenty20 against New Zealand on January 15 after being slapped with a one-match ban for violating the ICC's dress code during a domestic game.
Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and as many T20Is in a bio-secure environment in England amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
India and Pakistan will soon finalise the details of the pipeline that will bring natural gas from Iran, a top Pakistan government official said in Islamabad.
Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, which is going to contest next year's Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on the promise of creating leadership among Muslims, has created unease in the political parties that so far considered the members of the minority community as their core "vote bank".
Waqar Younis has hit out at his batsmen for failing to accelerate.
A 27-member Pakistan cricket contingent left for India to take part in the Twenty20 World Cup, finally ending days of uncertainty over their participation in the mega event. The team will be reaching Kolkata via Abu Dhabi. The Pakistan squad including 15 players, 12 officials and support staff reached the Allama Iqbal international airport amidst tight security and boarded a flight hours after the Pakistan government finally gave the PCB the green signal to fly to India to take part in the ICC event. Due to a long stay in Abu Dhabi the squad will reach Kolkata later this evening. Head coach Waqar Younis, before departing for India, left a message on his Twitter account calling for unity in the team. "Come on together we can do it," he tweeted a message aimed at motivating the players. He told the media that though the departure of the team for India had been hit by uncertainty and security issues, the focus of the players now would only be on cricket and doing well in the world event.
Pakistan made a winning return on Saturday to the venue where they defeated New Zealand in their 1992 cricket World Cup semi-final.
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.
Pakistan cricket, on Saturday, lost its oldest living Test player Imtiaz Ahmed after he passed away in Lahore following a protracted illness. He was just five days away from turning 89.
The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board Shaharyar Khan has said that the decision to call back Moin Khan from the World Cup and later sack him as chief selector was taken to keep his prestige and reputation intact after the Casino incident.
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.
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court punished each of the five US terror suspects, who were arrested from Punjab province's Sargodha District in December 2009, with 10 years imprisonment on Thursday.
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.
"He (Sarfaraz) has shown himself to be a fine captain and yes he was struggling a bit for form but when a senior player is under pressure you have to encourage and back him, not dump him like this".
Five young American Muslims were indicted on Wednesday by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court for funding militants and plotting terror attacks in the country, a charge if proved could see them getting life-term.
A Pakistani court on Wednesday, rejected the bail plea of five American Muslims facing trial for planning terror attacks in the country and neighbouring Afghanistan.
A Pakistani court on Monday directed the government not to deport five American Muslim youths, arrested on suspicion of terror links, to the United States or any other country. Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif of the Lahore high court issued the order in response to a petition filed by former Inter Services Intelligence agency official Khalid Khwaja. In his petition, Khwaja said the five youths should be tried under Pakistani laws.
Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and as many Twenty20 matches against England. The first Test will begin at Lord's on July 30.
Experienced Pakistan players Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Sami received surprise call-ups to the national side for the two T20 matches against the touring Zimbabwe team after spending close to three years in the wilderness.
Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum asked how the former Pakistan leg spinner was appointed assistant coach since he was blacklisted after the match-fixing scandal.
Former Pakistan captain Muhammad Yousuf has urged the fact-finding committee of the PCB to not only blame the coach, captain and players for the national cricket team's dismal performance but also make the board officials accountable. "I told the committee that it is fine they are inquiring into the team's performances and those of the captain and coach but what about the board officials who are also responsible for the steep decline in our cricket," Yousuf told PTI to from Lahore. "Every time the team performs badly, the responsibility is put on the captain, coach and the players but I have never seen anyone in the board being held responsible," he added. The fact-finding committee was constituted by the Pakistan Cricket Board to probe into the team's poor performances in Asia Cup and World T20, as well as in earlier series against England and New Zealand. The committee includes Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and senior batsman Younis Khan -- both of whom have not attended the first two days of the fact-finding committee's three-day meeting in Lahore.
India's clash against England was a lot more than just a clash between the two teams as the result had the potential of changing other teams' fortune in the World Cup
India and Pakistan will appoint financial consultants to suggest project structure for the $4.16 billion Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline by September 15.
India and Pakistan on Tuesday reported good progress in talks on finalising framework and a timetable for building the $4.16 billion Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.
India and Pakistan will on Tuesday discuss financing of the $4.1-billion Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, the transit fee that Islamabad will charge for allowing the passage of the pipeline to India and security issues.
Last week, Pakistan and Iran had signed a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of the 2600-km project.
The World Cup bound Pakistani cricketers will have two counselling sessions with a well-known sports psychologist before leaving for the World Cup.
Their path to the semi-finals looking relatively easier in comparison, Australia will fancy their chances when they lock horns with a struggling Pakistan side whose hopes hangs by a thread in the ICC World Twenty20, in Mohali, on Friday.
Pakistan show rare consistency to scale T20 summit
'Eventually it's a game of bat and ball and that's what you need to focus on'
The seven participants due to represent Pakistan at next month's Games have all been given wildcard entries.
Three government officials have been suspended in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for quoting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as having said that Kashmir was a flashpoint that could trigger a fourth war with India, a media report said on Saturday.
India have won all their six games against Pakistan in the World Cup.
Pakistan national selectors have delayed announcement of the national squad for the Asia T20 and World T20 after some sterling performances in the ongoing Pakistan Super League in Dubai. A source told PTI that chief selector Haroon Rasheed had sent a 15-member squad to the chairman of the cricket board for final approval but then asked for some more time to revise the squad. "Haroon has held consultations with head coach Waqar Younis and captain Shahid Afridi over the selection of the squad and apparently the biggest issues are the selection of Ahmed Shehzad, Khurrum Manzoor, Kamran Akmal, Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan, Rumman Raees and uncapped left arm spinners, Muhammad Nawaz and Muhammad Ashgar," a source said.
Pakistan left England with their heads held high after their last two tours, drawing both, most recently under Misbah in 2018.
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