Scathing in its criticism after Pakistan's loss to India in a World Twenty20 match, the media here came down heavily on national coach Waqar Younis and skipper Shahid Afridi for their "faulty gameplan" and team selection. In a low-scoring rain-curtailed 18-over-a-side showdown t the hallowed Eden Gardens last night, India first restricted Pakistan to 118 for five and then overhauled the target in 15.5 overs on a turning track. With a moisture-laden pitch on offer following rains, Pakistan went by their strength and included four seamers in the playing eleven, leaving out left-arm spinner Imad Wasim. But the plan backfired as, to the surprise of all and sundry, the wicket turned from the first over itself. In a sarcastic article, the 'Express Tribune' newspaper criticised the Pakistan team's tactics and questioned the logic behind including four seamers on a turning wicket.
Ever wanted to find out why Pakistan's veteran batsman Younis Khan quit the national T20 captaincy?
'You can have any sort of combination possible for us starting tomorrow' 'The trend I have seen is every team is trying to get in first and then explode in the middle and the end'
Crediting India's emphatic win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the World Cup to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's mature captaincy, Kapil Dev has said the Indian skipper used his experience really well and was spot on with field placements.
Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan will be badly missed in the first Test in Pakistan, where England have won just two out of 21 Tests.
Pakistan's long-serving Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who finally announced his retirement from Test cricket termed not leading the national team against India in a Test series will remain one of his biggest regrets.
A month after he was unceremoniously sacked as Pakistan captain, senior batsman Younis Khan on Monday made his first appearance for a cricketing activity but surprisingly for a coaching course organised by the Board at its National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
Sachin Tendulkar compiled a mountain of runs for almost a quarter of a century and reached cricket's dizzying heights by defying a burden of expectation that would have crushed lesser mortals. Whenever Tendulkar came to the crease, India's billion-plus population made secret deals with gods, froze where they were, clutched lucky charms and indulged in all sorts of superstitions. And the sport's most prolific run-accumulator created plenty of those heart-in-mouth moments in his 24 years in international cricket.
The Pakistan captain said his team is hoping to benefit from the experience it got in Australia.
Semi-finalists six times. Runner-up in 2015. Rajneesh Gupta highlights important numbers for the New Zealand team from World Cups.
"But I must stress here that captaincy is tagged to the team's success," cautioned the Pakistan captain.
There might have been some security concerns in sending their athletes to India ahead of the ongoing 12th South Asian Games, but chef-de-mission of Pakistan Islahuddin Siddiqui admitted that his country's contingent did not face any such issues, in Guwahati, on Sunday.
It was Adam Gilchirst's sensible and aggressive captaincy that changed the fortunes of the Deccan Chargers in IPL-II, Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi said on Tuesday.
Former captain Sardar Singh was brought back to bolster the Indian hockey team's mid-field while Birendra Lakra was included to shore up the defence line-up for the upcoming Champions Trophy, beginning on June 23 in Breda, The Netherlands.
Pakistan's Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi is all set to take over the reins of the ODI and Test side as well for the upcoming Asia Cup and the tour of England.
Michael Clarke retained the captaincy of Australia's Twenty20 squad, while fit-again batsman Shaun Marsh returned to their one-day fold for a tour of The British Isles starting June 17.
The Pakistan Cricket Board will announce the squads for next month's Asia Cup and the tour of England on May 22 and opener Salman Butt is likely to get the Test captaincy.
'It hasn't been easy for the batters throughout the series'
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday, rejected Younis Khan's resignation and named him skipper of the national team until the 2011 World Cup, bringing an end to the uncertainty surrounding the captaincy following match-fixing allegations.
Acknowledging the progress Zimbabwe has made in One-dayers, India's stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane says they respect the hosts and will not take them lightly in the three-match series, beginning on Friday.
Veteran midfielder Sardar Singh on Saturday returned to the national team as Hockey India named a strong 18-member squad under the captaincy of Manpreet Singh for the Asia Cup to be held in Dhaka from October 11-22.
Praising Mahendra Singh Dhoni's efficient leadership, out-of-favour Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh said that the team's spectacular showing in this edition so far makes him believe that the Men in Blue can retain the trophy.
'One must remember that a dragon has a forked tongue,' warns Vivek Gumaste.
Pakistan's Twenty20 cricket captain Shahid Afridi believes that Younis Khan should not have backed out of the tour to New Zealand, a decision that led to Mohd Yousuf's elevation to Test captaincy.
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.
'They have tried too hard to be that stereotypical Australian team that are aggressive and go hard at people.'
Anguished and perplexed by the stinging criticism he faced after Pakistan's semi-final loss in the ICC Champions Trophy, Younis Khan says a feeling of being betrayed by people in the echelon of power pushed him into resigning from captaincy.
Disappointed with India's early ouster from the Champions Trophy, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has came down heavily on Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his listless captaincy.
The leg-spinner became only the seventh Indian to win a Test on his captaincy debut.
England skipper Eoin Morgan will go into the World Cup desperately seeking form after registering a third duck in his last four innings in the four-wicket loss to Pakistan in a warmup match on Wednesday.
...and getting GDP to measure India's data economy, recommends Ajit Balakrishnan.
The trouble-prone Pakistan cricket team dressing room was once again witness to some drama and it took PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan's intervention to diffuse the controversy generated by Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to rest from the third ODI against Australia.
'These girls keep complaining to their godmother or godfather.'' 'The people at the top listen to whatever the players say, but they don't know what is happening in the team.'
I am like everyone else just that I control my emotions better: Dhoni
England Test captain Joe Root is not bitter about his exclusion from this year's Indian Premier League and believes his team mates playing in the Twenty20 tournament will hugely benefit from the experience.
Australia's senior bowlers must step up to help captain Tim Paine lead an inexperienced team during their next tour against Pakistan, pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has said.
The ace spinner appeared in 118 Tests before making his captaincy debut. Steve Waugh led Australia for the first time after playing 111 Tests.
Shoaib Malik's uninspiring captaincy during the one-day series against India came under a scathing attack from former Pakistan cricketers with Javed Miandad even demanding his ouster, saying a senior player should be given the responsibility.
Rajneesh Gupta highlights all the important numbers for the England team from cricket World Cups.
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