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.
A heated argument led to the 32-year-old striking his fellow fast bowler Mohammad Asif on the thigh with a bat during nets for the Twenty20 World Cup.
Younis Khan is known to be unpopular among his teammates because he is temperamental and emotional.
The Pakistan team manager cleared Shoaib Akhtar of misconduct ahead of the disciplinary committee hearing on Thursday.
The Pakistan all-rounder was slapped with a one-Test ban by the inquiry committee for throwing a Twenty20 Cup match.
Former Test umpire and Hampshire cricketer John Holder is among those who have called for an independent inquiry into the dearth of non-white match officials in English cricket.
Pakistan's disgraced cricketer Salman Butt has tendered a personal apology to his former captain Shahid Afridi when they crossed paths at the national cricket academy in Lahore.
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar on Monday claimed that match-fixing was at its peak in 1996 and said the environment in the dressing room was far from conducive.
Young Pakistan left-arm spinner Raza Hasan faces a possible two-year ban from all forms of cricket after testing positive for cocaine following a dope test carried out at the WADA-accredited laboratory in India.
Former ESPN Star Sports MD Sawhney has already been working alongside outgoing Chief Executive Richardson for the last six weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
The International Cricket Council might have confirmed that the tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir can return to cricket after the expire of their bans, but a divided house seems to have emerged in Pakistani cricket.
Tainted Pakistan umpire, Asad Rauf has ruled out travelling to Mumbai for any investigation into the IPL spot-fixing scandal in which he was chargesheeted by the Mumbai police.
India pacer Shantakumaran Sreesanth and his Rajasthan Royals team mate Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were on Sunday cleared of charges by a Delhi court in the spot-fixing and betting scandal in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League in 2013. A flashback of the events that unfolded in the episode.
