Defending champions Pakistan suffered a double blow when pacer Umar Gul and all-rounder Yasir Arafat were ruled out of the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies after failing to recover from injuries sustained during the ongoing preparatory camp in Lahore.
Pakistan have called up Asad Shafiq and Mohammad Irfan as replacements for the suspended Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif for the one-day series in England.
Nationality of cricketers should not matter in the Indian Premier League and franchises should be allowed to pick the best players from around the globe, feels KKR CEO Joy Bhattacharya, who recently signed an MOU with rookie Pakistan pacer Mohammad Irfan.
Batsman Sharjeel Khan has been banned for five years by his country's cricket board (PCB) for his involvement in a spot-fixing scandal in the Pakistan Super League, local media reported on Wednesday.
Their arrival itself was mired in drama and a mercurial Pakistan would look to bring the focus back on their cricket when they take on an enigmatic Bangladesh.
Pakistan pacer Muhammad Irfan remains a doubtful starter for the cricket World Cup quarter-final against Australia on Friday.
Pakistan bowling came to the fore after Mohammad Hafeez's unbeaten fifty as they defeated World T20 defending champions Sri Lanka by 15 runs in their warmup match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday. Hafeez struck an unbeaten 70 from 49 balls to help Pakistan post 157/5 before they restricted Sri Lanka for 142/9 in front of a cheering crowd of more than 10,000. Sri Lanka were wayward with their bowling especially in the death overs and bowled eight wide balls, including five from Dushmantha Chamara, further helping Pakistan's cause.
Khurram Manzoor was unbeaten on 131 and Pakistan ended on 263 for three, a lead of 14 runs over South Africa who were bowled out for 249 early in the morning session.
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.
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.
Misbah-ul-Haq produced a crucial captain's innings to steer Pakistan to a four-wicket win over West Indies in the fifth One-day international in St. Lucia on Wednesday and secure the series 3-1.
Former Pakistan cricketers Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar have expressed dismay over the national team's meek surrender in the Twenty20 series in New Zealand and said the crisis before the ICC World T20 in India was 'worrisome'.
Confirming the news, PCB lawyer Taffazul Rizvi revealed that the bat grips that a bookmaker had given to Khalid were seized from his bag.
Sania Mirza and her Pakistani cricketer husband Shoaib Malik seem to have finally got the time to celebrate their respective recent victories.
If you drop a batsman of the calibre of Hashim Amla, you are surely bound to suffer big time and it happened to Pakistan, who were made to pay dearly for their lapse on the field.
Since the 76-run defeat to India at the World Cup gloom has descended on the Pakistanis. It seemed as if the team had left the Inter-Continental hotel in Adelaide after the match.
India frittered away the advantage of a two-goal lead and were held 2-2 by Pakistan in men's hockey at the Commonwealth Games, in Gold Coast on Saturday.
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.
Jamshed, who has played 48 one-day internationals for Pakistan, was suspended from all forms of cricket in February for violating the PCB's anti-corruption code.
Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal hit an unbeaten 38 from 28 balls as Pakistan wrapped up the two-match Twenty20 international series against Zimbabwe with a 15-run victory at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
They could be breathing down each others' necks in their marquee World T20 clash on Saturday, but a few of Indian and Pakistani cricketers, on Thursday, showed great camaraderie.
The best they can do, in the event they defeat Australia and line up for the semi-final in Sydney, is summon spinner Saeed Ajmal.
Batting at No. 9, Wahab Riaz struck a quickfire half-century before he returned to claim four wickets with the ball to lift Pakistan to a narrow 20-run victory.
Umar Akmal has been dropped from the Pakistan Twenty20 squad to face England as he is under investigation for bringing the sport into disrepute in an off-field incident, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reported on Thursday.
Thirty-four-year debutant Zulfiqar Babar took three key wickets then struck a six off the final ball of the match to give Pakistan a two wicket victory over West Indies in the first Twenty20 international on Saturday.
Former Pakistan pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar has said that current skipper Misbah-ul Haq needs to adopt Imran Khan's frontline approach employed by the captain in 1992 if the 2015 squad wants to win this year's Cricket World Cup.
Sohaib Maqsood spared Pakistan's blushes by hitting an unbeaten 93 to secure the team's three-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their first World Cup warm-up match on Monday.
The 33-year-old, who played five Tests and 61 One Day Internationals but has not played for more than a year
Drafted into the team for the first time in the ongoing cricket World Cup, Pakistan wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed made an instant impact with a record-equalling six catches and 49 runs in the team's upset win over South Africa in Auckland.
Fast bowler Sohail Khan earned a surprise recall while Pakistan selectors ignored senior players Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal in their final 15-member squad for the World Cup.
South Africa Test captain Graeme Smith has been withdrawn from their last three one-day internationals against Pakistan because of "post concussion syndrome", team manager Mohammed Moosajee said on Wednesday.
The Indian team used a unique method to tackle Pakistan's Mohammad Irfan, who at seven feet one inch, is the tallest cricketer in the world.
Australia's Matthew Wade struck his maiden one-day century to help secure a comprehensive 92-run victory over a disjointed Pakistan in the first one-day international in Brisbane on Friday.
The ban has been implemented in more than 10 villages of Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur districts.
Zimbabwe set to become first team to tour Pak after terror fears in March 2009.
Pakistan have been dealt a blow ahead of their World Cup quarter-final against Australia with the news that left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Irfan will miss the remainder of the tournament due to a stress fracture of the pelvis.
Pakistan's rookie pace bowler Rahat Ali, who branded his sudden inclusion in the World Cup squad as a 'pleasant' surprise , has pledged that he would make his mark in the one-day game and is looking forward to play alongside his close friend Mohammad Irfan.
A PCB official said the suspended off-spinner has been named in the preliminary squad as he was in the process of correcting his action and would soon appear for an ICC biomechanics test.
South Africa will have to dig deep if they are to avoid defeat in the first Test after being reduced to 72 for four wickets in their second innings, still trailing Pakistan by 121 runs, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
England's Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow struck half centuries to guide the hosts to a four-wicket victory over Pakistan in the fourth one-day international in Leeds on Thursday as they went 4-0 ahead in the five-match series.
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