'It is not that we took the decision out of some vengeance.' ' 'It was not that we dropped someone because we had some enmity with him.'
Pathan has been asked to play in the remaining two rounds of Ranji Trophy domestic cricket tournament.
Former India wicketkeeper batsman Vijay Dahiya will be the chief of talent scout development wing of Delhi Capitals, replacing Praveen Amre, who has decided to "move on" after five years.
Bangladesh have recalled seasoned middle-order batsman Mohammad Ashraful for the four-nation Asia Cup in Sri Lanka next week. Bangladesh Cricket Board chief selector Rafiqul Alam said the 25-year-old, who was dropped for the home one-day series against England in March, is back in form.
Opener Salman Butt is all set to be named as Pakistan vice-captain for the forthcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the subsequent tour to England, according to PCB sources.
Pakistan's chief selector Mohsin Khan on Sunday said the desire to select the strongest possible squad for the 2011 World Cup has delayed the announcement of the probables for the flagship event of the ICC.
India has a good chance to clinch the upcoming Champions Trophy in South Africa, provided Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men keep up the tempo they gained by winning the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka, according to BCCI chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth.
New Zealand named seven uncapped players in their 30-man squad for next year's World Cup, as the Black Caps struggle to end a run of 11 straight defeats in one-day internationals. The new faces in the squad are Brent Arnel, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Adam Milne, Rob Nicol, Luke Woodcock and Reece Young.
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India president Raj Singh Dungarpur, who died in Mumbai on Saturday at the age of 73 after protracted illness, will be remembered in the history of Indian cricket as the chief selector who introduced Sachin Tendulkar at the international stage.
Senior players Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi were on Wednesday dropped from the 18-member Pakistan squad for next month's Azlan Shah hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Pakistan left out pace bowler Mohammad Amir from their 15-man Twenty20 international squad to face Australia.
Chief selector Geoff Miller on Wednesday dismissed the possibility of Marcus Trescothick's return to the England team for the final Ashes Test against Australia after the Somerset batsman had hinted at coming out of his international retirement. Trescothick had quit international cricket last year following stress-related illness.
'The way he has performed in the IPL, he has been picked for the T20 World Cup.'
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 15-man squad sans the name of the skipper for the forthcoming ICC T20 World Championship in the Caribbean.
Former Indian cricket captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth is likely to take over as the chairman of the selection committee from Dilip Vengsarkar at the BCCI's Annual General Meeting to be held in Mumbai on September 27 and 28.
Experienced middle-order batsman Vangipurappu Laxman has been declared fit to play in the second and final Test against South Africa, starting on Sunday, India's chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has recalled players Fawad Alam and Abdul Rauf from Australia to reduce the size of the touring squad, officials said in a statement on Thursday.
Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza has been ruled out of next month's home tri-series against India and Sri Lanka after failing a fitness test, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said on Thursday. Mortaza underwent surgery on both knees in Australia in September and was looking to return for the series, which starts on January 4 in Dhaka.
Troubled Pakistani fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been included in their country's 30-man preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy.
Cricket Australia has picked Doug Bollinger ahead of fellow pacer Stuart Clark for a spot in the 12-man squad for the first Test against West Indies at the Gabba starting next week.
Pakistan should not get too excited by their Twenty20 triumph over Australia as Ricky Ponting's men would be a harder nut to crack in the Test series, feels former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and ex-chief selector Abdul Qadir.
Pakistan have dropped senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq from the squad to play New Zealand and recalled opener Imran Farhat after nearly three years out of the team.
Left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz has withdrawn himself from Pakistan's two-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka owing to a hand injury.
Australia suffered a big setback after senior fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the World Test Championship final against India.
'I am particularly happy that an Indian has done such a superb job as the coach because people always talk about foreign coaches, but Shastri has dashed all those views.'
We will look at alternatives if Dhoni doesn't deliver: Prasad
The BCCI said its chief selector has been asked not to do so as there appears to be a conflict of interest on the issue.
Australia and West Indies are set to lock horns in five T20Is and three ODIs in July this year.
Former Test captain and Chief Selector Dilip Vengsarkar on Thursday cautioned the International Cricket Council not to proceed with plans to introduce the Umpire Decision Review System without putting in place a fool-proof technology.
Younis Khan's return to the Pakistan team got prolonged after chief selector Iqbal Qasim made it clear that the former captain will not be send for the final Test against Australia starting January 14 instead he will be considered for the forthcoming ODI series Down Under.
Heeding to the SOS call by the Pakistan team, Younis Khan on Tuesday agreed to join the team-mates in Australia for the ongoing Test series but said he will never captain the side.
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan is likely to return to international cricket from his self declared short exile during the forthcoming One-day series against Australia.
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.
India boast of the most balanced batting order in the world, backed by a highly effective bowling unit and that explains their rise as the number one Test team in the world, according to chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth.
Kolkata Knight Riders' coach John Buchanan's multiple captain idea is nothing but a mockery of the game, says former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar. Ridiculing Buchanan's suggestion, Vengsarkar said he would be glad to see KKR captain Sourav Ganguly back at the helm of the Kolkata-based Indian Premier League franchise.
Taking to Twitter, the former Hyderabad captain accused several HCA members of have Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) cases pending against them.
Bangladesh have axed spinner Mohammad Rafique and opening batsman Shahriar Nafees to make room for three uncapped players in their 15-man Twenty20 squad for next month's world championship in South Africa.
Pakistan chief selector Iqbal Qasim has advised Younis Khan to concentrate on his individual performance in the coming matches as it was imperative for the captain to lead by example.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation said it would not consider the trio of Sohail Abbas, Mohammad Saqlain and Waseem Ahmed for selection because they deserted the team.
It took chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed's intervention to convince an "upset" Younis Khan to take the field in the first one-dayer against Banglades,h as the batsman was furious after being questioned by an ICC investigating officer just ahead of the match.
