Ruing that his career has been plagued by scores of controversies, banned Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar today said he would like to focus on the forthcoming tour of India instead of fretting over the spoilt past. "Although no cricketer wants to be banned and fined, I am happy that t

Pakistan's temperamental fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was today banned for 13 ODIs and fined Rs 34 lakh by the Pakistan Cricket Board disciplinary committee for hitting fellow paceman Mohammad Asif with bat. The PCB disciplinary committee announced that Shoaib had breached the code of c

South African skipper Graeme said Pakistan's controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was a match winner but also had been a disruptive influence on the team. "Certainly he is a player who has won Test matches for them as a bowler, but certainly we have seen he has been a dis

Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul wreaked havoc with the ball as Pakistan kicked off their Twenty20 World Cup campaign with a thumping 51-run win against lowly Scotland in a Group D match at Kingsmead here today. Setting the minnows a stiff winning target of 172 runs, Pakistan never had any real

Shahid Afridi's role will be under scanner in the probe into the Shoaib Akhtar- Mohammad Asif brawl in Johannesburg with a few Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials suspecting the flamboyant all-rounder of provoking the spat. PCB chief executive Shafqat Nagmi was scheduled to depart for

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

Lambasting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for creating a spoilt brat like Shoaib Akhtar, former captain Asif Iqbal demanded a life ban for the erratic speedster following the Johannesburg brawl that tarnished the country's image. A furious Asif said Shoaib has done enough damage and should

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

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Naseem Ashraf today said fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar could face further disciplinary action once he returned home from South Africa following a brawl with teammate Mohammad Asif. "The decision to recall him has been taken after an immediate action by the

Pakistan cricket today plunged into a fresh controversy with fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar being recalled home from the World Twenty20 Championships in South Africa for hitting fellow paceman Mohammad Asif with a bat. The Pakistan Cricket Board took a serious note of the incident which occurred

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

Pakistan's new coach Geoff Lawson has said experienced middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf's absence would be felt after he decided to join the rebel Indian Cricket League. "He (Yousuf) is a great player and his absence will surely be felt," Lawson said at his first news confere

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar could find himself in more trouble after throwing a trantrum at the Pakistan Cricket Board headquarters in Lahore last evening. Akhtar was earlier fined a total of 300,000 rupees and docked points from his new central contract for indiscipline. The paceman had l

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 enigmatic fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi have turned down million-dollar offers to play in the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). Shoaib said hours after clearing a dope test that he was made a good offer from the ICL organizers but he conside

Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, who returned positive for banned substance nandrolone last year, have cleared the dope tests held last week, the Pakistan Cricket Board said today. The tests were conducted on 26 players during the training camp and practice matches held here i

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

Although willing to aid the planned Bob Woolmer Academy in every possible way, some officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) feel the late coach's family is being too demanding by asking for a special charity match. Woolmer's widow Gill had written to both the PCB and the Indian Cricket

Flamboyant Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi today said he favoured the International Cricket Council's new rule of awarding a free hit to batsman after a no ball delivery in one-dayers, saying it would make the game more entertaining and exciting. Afridi said he understood the apprehens

The washout of the one-day international against arch-rivals India in Glasgow had deprived Pakistan of a chance to boost morale and confidence, captain Shoaib Malik has said. "In Pakistan, a match against India is above everything else and the players were also looking forward to it a

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif can heave a sigh of relief as the Court of Arbitration for Sport today dismissed an appeal by the World Anti-doping Agency against the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to overturn a doping ban on them. The CAS said in its verdict that it rejected the WADA app

Pakistan's speed merchant Shoaib Akhtar has been asked to prove his "match fitness" to be eligible for selection for the one-off ODI against India in Scotland next month. Akhtar, who has not played a competitive match in the past 14 months due to fitness problems, was today inclu

Sachin Tendulkar today made way for Sourav Ganguly while Zaheer Khan was included as the sixth Indian in the revised 14-member one-day Asia cricket team for the Afro Asian Cup beginning in Bangalore on June 6. Sri Lankan Dilhara Fernando and Mashrafe Mortaza of Bangladesh were the other tw

Dope-tainted Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar was today dropped from the Asian XI team for the Afro Asia Cricket Cup due to lack of fitness. Asian Cricket Council selection committee member Mohsin Khan said the express bowler was dropped as he had not recovered from his knee injury. "The P

Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said he wanted to get his fitness problems sorted out once and for all during the lean cricketing season to come back tougher for the home series against South Africa in September. Shoaib, who has not been named even in the probables for the Abu Dhabi

Controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar today said there was a need to change the culture of the Pakistan team's dressing room with a captain who is honest and supportive of his players. "My experience is that in the past instead of using me as a match winner some of the captains used

Pakistan pacer Rana Naved ul Hasan and Umar Gul were summoned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for random dope test after their opening World Cup match against the West Indies.ICC had summoned Umer Gul and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan for a random dope test after the World Cup opening match

Two time World champions West Indies will today take on 1992 champions Pakistan in the opening match of the ninth ICC Cricket World Cup. The Windies face pressure as no host country has ever won the title since the World Cup was launched in 1975 in England. Brian Lara and his men woul

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Nasim Ashraf today strongly dismissed suggestions that pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were pulled out of the World Cup after they failed a secret dope test in London. The announcement came just hours after the International Cricket Counci