Pakistan succumbed to their first ever Test defeat against Bangladesh on Sunday after fielding an attack, which did not contain a single frontline spinner.
Babar Azam provided 73 in 95 deliveries with the visitors profiting from some sloppy South African fielding as they dropped numerous catches and were not accurate enough with the ball.
While India are on a high after a measured six-wicket win over a sprightly Bangladesh, Pakistan are evidently tense after the 60-run loss in the tournament-opener to New Zealand.
Former captain Babar Azam, pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah returned to the Pakistan team for the upcoming white-ball series in Australia.
Spinners took 16 wickets on Sunday as Jomel Warrican's seven-wicket haul restricted Pakistan's second innings to 157, setting a target of 251 for West Indies, who failed to get a partnership going on the turn-heavy track.
Bosch's knock, which included 15 boundaries, helped South Africa to 301 all out at tea and a handy lead over the tourists, who scored 211 in their first innings.
India's pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah's absence will certainly hurt India, but the team's quality batting and spin bowling make them title contenders alongside South Africa and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.
Umar was slapped with a three-year ban from all forms of cricket by the PCB. Kamran said he can also benefit from observing the conduct of Tendulkar and Dhoni who have always steered clear of controversy.
Ryan Rickelton posted the joint seventh-highest score by a South African in Tests with 259 as his side ran up a huge 615 before reducing Pakistan to 64/4 at the close on Day 2.
Jamie Smith smashed a counter-attacking 89 before England's bowlers made early inroads into the Pakistan line-up to drag the touring side back into the deciding third and final Test.
Babar Azam was dropped on Sunday, while the pace duo Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah opted to withdraw from the remaining two Tests against England.
Experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal's scathing attack on the Pakistan team management could hurt his chances of making a comeback to international cricket.
Pakistan have dropped plans to conduct "major surgery" on the national team as it included senior players Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Test squad for the two-match series against Bangladesh.
Pakistan's Shan Masood is likely to be retained captain for the upcoming home Test series against England, while Babar Azam is also assured of keeping his white-ball captaincy when the team flies to Australia and South Africa later this year.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2nd Test played between Pakistan and England in Multan, on Thursday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday demoted premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to Category B from Category A, and did not offer central contracts to senior players Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Osama Mir for the 2024-25 season.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal was a surprise omission when Pakistan announced their latest batch of central contracts on Monday. The 29-year-old Kamran, a veteran of 53 Tests, 137 one-day internationals and 38 Twenty20s, has been replaced by his younger brother Adnan Akmal, 26, who toured New Zealand last year.
The International Cricket Council has sent an official notice to Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal telling him that he is under investigation for allegedly fixing the Sydney Test.
The explosion ripped through the provincial capital Quetta's railway station as passengers gathered on the platform before the scheduled departure of the Jaffar Express to Peshawar.
Rajasthan Royals pacer Kamran Khan has been reported for suspect bowling action and the team management and Technical Committee of the Indian Premier League informed about it. After Thursday's match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, on-field umpires Rudi Koertzen and Gary Baxter felt Kamran had a suspect bowling action on certain deliveries.
On June 9, India and Pakistan will step into New York's Nassau County Cricket Stadium to play the highly anticipated clash
Pakistan's out-of-favour wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal stood by his brother Umar Akmal's side.
PCB chairman Ijaz Butt cast a shadow of doubt over senior Pakistani players Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq's future when he said it is time for the duo to bid adieu to international cricket after their flop show in the World Cup.
'I deeply regret my recent comments and sincerely apologize to @harbhajan_singh and the Sikh community. My words were inappropriate and disrespectful. I have the utmost respect for Sikhs all over the world and never intended to hurt anyone. I am truly sorry.'
Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal and his younger brother Umar have become the first players to file a formal appeal against the ban and fine imposed on them last month by the Cricket Board (PCB).
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the guilty verdicts handed out to Butt and Asif by the Southwark Crown Court in London on Tuesday, could form the basis of a fresh anti-corruption probe against the two players.
Pakistan's troubled wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal could finally make a comeback to the national team for the ODI and Twenty20 match against Bangladesh in Lahore later this month.
In a major move, the selectors inducted a number of uncapped players in the squad for the West Indies tour, including wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman, batsman Usman Salahuddin, all-rounder Hammad Azam and fast bowler Aizaz Cheema.
Test and ODI captain Misbah-ul Haq was dropped from Pakistan's provisional 30-man squad for September's World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, but the PCB recalled Kamran Akmal after the wicketkeeper-batsman was cleared of suspicions of spot-fixing.
Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal's relatives were robbed of 1.5 million rupees, jewellery, mobile phones and other personal items while on their way to attend a wedding ceremony near their home in Lahore.
Pakistan rode on a sparkling half-century from opener Kamran Akmal to beat Ireland by 39 runs and romp into the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 at the Oval on Monday. In winning their must-win last Super Eights match, Pakistan also avenged the humiliating loss to Ireland in the 2007 ODI World Cup in the Caribbeans, and joined South Africa in the last four stage of the tournament.
Discarded wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal could be a surprise inclusion in Pakistan's final World Cup squad.
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis defends Kamran Akmal after the under-performing wicket-keeper came under attack from the Pakistani media on Tuesday.
Butt was suspended for five years for his role in spot-fixing during the Pakistan and England Test match in August, 2010.
Text messages retrieved from Mazhar Majeed's mobile phone indicate his close ties with Pakistani wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who was nicknamed 'Kami' by the alleged match-fixer.
Kamran Akmal smashed a blistering, unbeaten 92 as Pakistan dented arch-rival India's confidence ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 with a thrilling five-wicket victory in their last warm-up game in Colombo on Monday.
As the first of the quarter-finals gets started, Manu Shankar and Abhishek Mande weigh the strengths and weaknessess of Pak and Windies teams.
Under scanner Pakistani cricketers Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz, on Saturday, said they are ready to face any investigation by the ICC as they do not want their names to be linked with corruption and spot-fixing media reports.
Out-of-favour Pakistan cricketers Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik minced no words in making it clear that they are not happy with the treatment meted out to them.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances