Flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi was, on Tuesday, named Pakistan's new Twenty20 captain until the 2016 World T20, and Misbah ul Haq retained Test and ODI skipper until the 2015 50-over World Cup.
Afghanistan's participation in next month's T20 World Cup is becoming a matter of intrigue after Taliban's takeover of the strife-torn country.
Flamboyant all-rounder and national T20 captain Shahid Afridi has advised the Pakistan Cricket Board to stop running after their Indian counterparts to have the proposed bilateral series in December in the UAE.
Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar says he is he is not the least bit surprised by Pakistan's poor run in the ongoing World T20 Championship.
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.
The national team manager Intikhab Alam has blamed captain Shahid Afridi for Pakistan cricket team's recent poor performances, including at the World Twenty20 in India. The report states that Afridi was involved in 'needless controversies' during the World T20. In the five-page report submitted to the PCB and fact-finding committee of the PCB, Alam said that the team failed to sustain the stress and the pressure associated with the world event. "The recent Asia Cup and the ICC World T20 have made it evident that we have critical gaps both in batting and bowling and our fielding keeps on leaking runs, thus releasing pressure. In bowling, with the exception of Muhammad Amir, we do not have a bowler who can win us matches. "Our death bowling also is way below par. And the same goes with our batting line-up, where we do not have reliable pinch hitters and the top and power hitter to clinch us games," Alam wrote in his report, leaked to media.
Floored by the warm reception in India after their arrival for the World Twenty20 Championship, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and senior all-rounder Shoaib Malik on Sunday said they have never felt any security threat in the country. The Pakistani team touched down here last night after getting government clearance to travel, a decision that was delayed by several days over security concerns. In fact, Pakistan's marquee World T20 clash against India on March 19 had be moved from Dharamsala to Kolkata after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh expressed his inability to provide adequate security cover in the wake of protests by the state's ex-servicemen. However, both Afridi and Malik played down the intense media focus on Pakistan's security. "I've not enjoyed playing anywhere as much as I have in India. I am in the last stage of my career and I can say that the love I have got in India is something that I will always remember. We have not got this much love even from Pakistan," Afridi said.
Gilani, 67, tested positive after attending a hearing of the National Accountability Bureau in a corruption case.
Pakistan's veteran all-rounder Shahid Afridi has admitted that he would like to eclipse the record set by the swashbuckling South African skipper AB de Villiers, who hit the fastest One-Day International century.
India's premier Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara will play for Team Zalawad Royals in the inaugural Saurashtra Premier League.
Pakistan have recalled all-rounder Muhammad Hafeez for their upcoming five match one day series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi has hit back over legendary batsman Javed Miandad's recent comments that the former T20 skipper "wanted the farewell game only for money". Speaking during the book launch ceremony of sports journalist Saleem Khaliq, the 36-year-old all-rounder said that money has always been an issue for Miandad rather than him. Afridi further went on to say that it doesn't suit the legendary cricketer like Miandad to pass such kind of "irresponsible" comments.
After appealing for peace between India and Pakistan, former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has now taken an aggressive stance with respect to strained relations between the two neighbouring countries. Speaking at a cricket show, the all-rounder was asked to react on an article by an Indian news portal that allegedly ridiculed his tweet and stated that 'Afridi was scared of Indian Army.'
Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have faced lot of flak for his team's embarrassing ODI series defeat against Bangladesh but Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi is "not happy" in the manner the Indian ODI captain was being targeted.
England stayed afloat in the World Twenty20 tournament after humbling Pakistan by 48 runs in their must-win Group B match at the Oval on Sunday.
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.
Meet the winners of the past seven editions of the T20 World cup.
Inzamam-ul-Haq and Sourav Ganguly have said that India and Pakistan must play against each other regularly.
When South Africa's AB de Villiers scored the quickest century on Sunday, he broke more than just an ODI record. Here is how the South African has rewritten cricketing history.
Miandad said it is true that he had his issues with Afridi but they were purely professional.
Maninder Singh, the talented left-arm spinner, was taken to cleaners with utter disdain, but he never faced public wrath.
Underfire Waqar Younis on Monday resigned as Pakistan's head coach in the wake of team's early exit from the World Twenty20 in India.
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.
Shahid Afridi gave clear indications that he would retire from the shortest format.
Flamboyant Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has said he is ready to retire from international cricket the day he feels he is a burden on the team.
Pakistan crashed out of the final of the Asia Cup cricket tournament after losing by five wickets to hosts Bangladesh here and skipper Shahid Afridi conceded that his side committed "too many mistakes" which cost them dearly.
Sporting stars joined the country in mourning the demise of iconic actor Dilip Kumar
Pakistan's senior batsman and former captain Shoaib Malik has said maverick all-rounder Shahid Afridi is the best person to replace Misbah-ul-Haq as skipper for next year's World Cup.
Yasir Shah promoted, Shoaib Malik retained in top category
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's Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi was saved of much embarrassment when a fan stepped in to pay for his meal at a fast food joint in Auckland, after the flamboyant cricketer realised that he was not carrying local currency.
The World T20 Championships has seen a plethora of records created since its inception in 2007. Rediff.com gives you a glance of all the interesting statistics from the tournament!
Watch out for Shahid Afridi's pyrotechnics against Ravichandran Ashwin's variations, Umar Gul's pace against Virat Kohli's bravado and Saeed Ajmal's guile against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's flair.
It was on 7th February 1999, that Anil Kumble became just the second bowler in the history of cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings of a Test match. He achieved the feat against Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, now known as Arun Jaitley cricket stadium in Delhi during the second Test of the two-match series.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan led the chorus of appreciation for the Pakistan team after its stunning one-wicket win over India in the Asia Cup, showering special praise on senior all-rounder Shahid Afridi for his electrifying cameo.
Veteran Pakistan batsman Younis Khan is likely to announce his retirement from the One-day format after the World Cup, sources claimed.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to give flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi a chance to officially announce his retirement from international cricket during the Twenty20 series against West Indies in the UAE later this month. According to a report in the 'Daily Jang', the PCB wants Afridi to retire on his own after being ignored for the lone T20 international against England and last week. The former Pakistan captain has insisted that he wants to continue playing cricket and is available for national selection.
Former India captain Kapil Dev said that Afridi's comment does not even deserve a reaction.
Some of Pakistan's top cricketers, including Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar, have supported the restoration of bilateral cricket ties with India and hoped the issue was discussed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his flying visit to India.
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.
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