The Pakistan Cricket Board has named all-rounder Shoaib Malik as captain of the national team following the resignation of Inzamam-ul-Haq in the wake of the side’s early World Cup exit. The 25-year-old, who has played in 18 Tests and 137 one-day internationals, was handed the role until the end of the year for the Test and one-day squads.
Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq has said the World Cup would have been halted anywhere else in the world other than the Caribbean after the suspected murder there of coach Bob Woolmer. Inzamam also suggested the death of Pakistan coach Woolmer was due to a security lapse.
Pakistan cricket board officials suspect that the death of coach Bob Woolmer was due to natural causes and that the Jamaican police acted hastily by declaring it a murder. A senior official of the board said they had received information that there could have been mistakes in the first autopsy on Woolmer’s body.
Pakistan pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been ruled out of the World Cup due to injury, a senior cricket board official said on Thursday. The double withdrawal comes just five months after the pair tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone and were banned by their national board before an appeal panel cleared them to play again.
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/ 1 December 2006
Pakistan won the third and final Test against the West Indies by 199 runs after leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and pace bowler Abdul Razzaq took the last four wickets for 17 runs after tea on Friday. West Indies, set an improbable victory target of 444, were dismissed for 244 in 76 overs with Kaneria (3-69) and Razzaq (2-23) cleaning up the lower order in 69 balls.
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/ 30 November 2006
West Indies were struggling to avoid a big defeat against Pakistan after run-machine Mohammad Yousuf broke several records on day four of the third and final Test on Thursday. Yousuf made his second century of the match and his ninth of 2006 to break Vivian Richard’s 30-year old record for most runs scored in a calendar year.
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/ 27 November 2006
Mohammad Yousuf set a batting record with his eighth hundred of 2006 but West Indies restricted Pakistan to 257-7 at close of play on the first day of the third and final Test. Pakistan lost four wickets for 83 runs in the last session on Monday, including that of Yousuf who made 102, his 22nd career century.
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/ 21 November 2006
A majestic unbeaten 196 from captain Brian Lara put the West Indies in complete control of the second Test against Pakistan on Tuesday. The 37-year-old left hander stood on the brink of his ninth double century in Tests as the visitors piled up 509-5 by the close of play on the third day.
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/ 20 November 2006
Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga forged an undefeated opening stand of 151 for the West Indies to cap a miserable day for Pakistan on day two of the second Test on Monday. Gayle (87) and Ganga (59) posted the first century opening stand for the West Indies in 20 Tests in Pakistan after the home side were bowled out for 357 with paceman Jerome Taylor taking 5-91.
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/ 16 October 2006
Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar’s career has been a mixture of brilliance, frustration and injury, but his latest misdemeanour could well be his last. On Monday, Shoaib and new ball partner Mohammad Asif left Pakistani cricket in a state of shock after they were withdrawn from the Champions Trophy squad in disgrace after testing positive for the steroid nandrolone.