Playing down the absence of fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik said the presence of explosive striker Shahid Afridi would provide his team some psychological advantage in the much-awaited Twenty20 clash against India on Friday. After the disastrous World Cup in the Wes

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is set for a challenge of leading a virtually inexperienced team in the World Twenty20 Championships as India has played just one international match in the shortest version of the game. Dhoni on his debut as a captain, however, can draw inspiration from the one-off ma

Former Pakistan great Javed Miandad has held country's cricket Board responsible for the increasing incidents of indiscipline by players, specially Shoaib Akhtar, who was today recalled from South Africa after he hit Asif with a bat during net practice. "I hold the Board responsible f

A local cricket club has invited the unofficial Indian Cricket League to organise its matches in Pakistan and Kapil Dev, the Chairman of ICL Executive Board, promised to consider the proposal. Arif Abbasi, a former senior official of the Pakistan Cricket Board, who is now Chief Executive o

Pakistan cricket coach Geoff Lawson believes that the battle in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup was open and no team was favourite to win the trophy in South Africa next month. Lawson also said any team, which wished to win the tournament would have to excel in all departments of the game

Pakistani cricketers today got first taste of working under new coach Geoff Lawson and rugby trainer David Dwyer in the conditioning camp in Lahore ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup. Dwyer, who has worked previously as a trainer with state and club rugby teams in New South Wales and Singapor

New Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson said his enthusiasm has not been dampened by the fact that some senior players have joined the Indian Cricket League. Lawson said he felt happy for players like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat who aligned with the ICL. "

Speculation about Imran Farhat's aligning with the Indian Cricket League ended today when the Pakistani opener admitted that he has joined the rebel body. Farhat's announcement came hours after experienced allrounder Abdul Razzaq's quitting international cricket in protest against "the

Miffed with the PCB for dropping him from the Twenty20 World Championship squad, all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has quit international cricket in protest. "I have decided to retire because I am hurt and disappointed at the way the authorities have treated me for the last few weeks," Razz

Upset at being excluded from the Twenty20 World Cup squad, Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf is now "seriously" considering the offer to play in the rebel Indian Cricket League. Yousuf had put on hold an individual endorsement deal with a Pakistani company saying he needed more ti

The Pakistan Cricket Board came down hard on enigmatic fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar today, fining him 300,000 rupees and also docking points from his central contract for leaving the national training camp here without permission. "He left the camp without informing the team manager on Augu

The Pakistan Cricket Board came down hard on enigmatic fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar today, fining him 300,000 rupees and also docking points from his central contract for leaving the national training camp here without permission. "He left the camp without informing the team manager on Augu

Pakistan's new coach Geoff Lawson has rated the team's traditional rivalry with cross-border rivals India as the mother of all cricket battles. The former Australian fast bowler said that to beat India in India is about 10 Ashes series wrapped in one. "The biggest series of the decade

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Naseem Ashraf has lauded the country's players for showing patriotism by turning down lucrative offers to join a break-away Indian league. "I am pleased to know players' sentiments and they proved they only want to play for Pakistan. The league is only s

A report on the controversial post-mortem by Indian-born pathologist Dr Ere Seshiah in the Bob Woolmer case has been delayed as the commission reviewing the autopsy procedures wants more time to ascertain the facts. The commission, headed by former High Court judge Ian Forte, was supposed

The Pakistan Cricket Board has started conducting dope tests on the probables for the Twenty20 World Cup including fast bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif who last year had tested positive for a banned substance. "The tests are nearly completed and we have a doctor and a local repre

Nothing less than a major Test series win or one-day title and a place among the top three in ICC rankings during new coach Geoff Lawson's two-year contract would be acceptable to the Pakistan Cricket Board. PCB Chairman Naseem Ashraf said Lawson would be given certain targets to meet duri

The hectic international schedule and financial issues are preventing organisers of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) from completing the process of signing players for their inaugural competition slated in October, according to a former Pakistan captain. The ex-skipper, who has been approac

Inzamam-ul-Haq has been approached by the organisers of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) to play for one of the participating teams and the former Pakistan captain is considering the proposal. Inzamam, who retired from one-day cricket after the World Cup in March, confirmed today that ICL h

Pakistan Cricket Board has advertised for the post of assistant coach of the national team despite a failed experimentation with this method while searching for the chief coach. The advertisement, placed on websites, has the same condition that interested candidates must be Test cricketers

With Australia and South Africa raising concerns over touring Pakistan in the wake of an escalation in violence, cricket board Chairman Nasim Ashraf said the situation had not reached such levels where international teams cannot play. Pakistan after playing in the Twenty20 World Cup hosts

Former Pakistan captain and coach Javed Miandad today softened his stance on newly appointed Geoff Lawson, saying he had "no ego" hassle in working with the Australian, who wants him to be a part of "coaching crew". Miandad, who had lashed out at the country's Cricket B

Pakistan's newly-appointed coach Geoff Lawson wants Javed Miandad, one of the harshest critics of foreign coaches, to be part of his support staff. "I would like to get Javed on board to be part of the coaching crew, to be part of the system and help out, because he was an outstanding p

Pakistan has expressed its inability to play a Twenty20 match against India to raise funds for their former coach Bob Woolmer's cricket academy in South Africa because of a packed international schedule. Widow of Bob Woolmer, Gill had written to the cricket Board's of Pakistan and Indian t

Scheduled to visit Pakistan for a Test and ODI series later this year, South Africa has expressed its concern over the brewing political scenario in the country. A six-member security delegation of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) is visiting the country to assess the secur

Thanks to a packed middle order, Yuvraj Singh's chances of playing in the first Test against England look slim but former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad feels it would be a folly if the Indian think-tank ignores the dashing left-hander. Heaping praise on Yuvraj, Miandad said the Punjab pla

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has supported the appointment of Australian Jeff Lawson as the national cricket team's coach. Inzamam said Pakistan had produced some great players, but they lacked in man management skills. "Javed Miandad is one of the best teachers of the g

Two Pakistani cricketers have reportedly been entrusted with the job of roping in players for the lucrative Indian Cricket League (ICL). The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), however, said it was not worried about any possible exodus of players signing up for the league which at present does n

Former Pakistan offie Saqlain Mushtaq says India can make the English team bite dust in the upcoming Test series, if their bowlers back the glittering batting line up. "India has depth in its batting which just needs to be backed by the bowlers. It is very easy to lose control in the

Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan today joined the chorus against appointing a foreign coach for the national team, saying it was "unfair" when many talented coaches were present in the country itself. Moin said the team did not need a "high profile" coach being searched