Islamabad: Poor team selections are to blame for Pakistan's exit from the Champions Trophy group stage in England, say former internationals Sarfraz Nawaz and Rashid Latif. Nawaz, who helped Pakistan reach the World Cup semi-finals in 1979 and 1983, and Latif, who reached the 1996 World Cup quarterfinals, targeted opening batsman Imran Farhat and batting allrounder Shoaib Malik as the prime culprits for Pakistan's two below-par totals against West Indies and South Africa.
Both batsmen combined for just 12 runs in the matches as Pakistan were bowled out for 170 against West Indies and 167 against the Proteas. With India soundly beating West Indies by eight wickets on Tuesday and eliminating Pakistan from semi-finals contention, Pakistan will have to catch an early flight home, no matter what the outcome is of their last group match against India on Saturday.
Latif said it's time for Pakistan to bring in younger players instead of falling back on the likes of Malik, playing his fifth Champions Trophy, and Farhat, playing his third. "For how long are we going to rely on these players?" Latif asked the Associated Press. "They have been playing for over a decade now and haven't showed any improvement, it's better we should look for fresh faces."
Nawaz wanted to see both players dropped from all Pakistan teams, and also called for Misbah-ul-Haq to be replaced as captain. "All the non-performers should be axed and to me Imran and Malik are the first ones who have to
08:04 PM, Jun 12, 2013
Karachi: Pakistan's former captain, Shoaib Malik and the vigilance officer Major (retd) Asghar could not leave with the national team for Ireland early Tuesday morning due to visa problems. While the rest of the squad departed as per schedule from Lahore airport, Malik and Asghar were left behind and will now join the team in a couple of days in Ireland or Scotland. Sources in the board said that both...
11:23 PM, May 14, 2013
Captain Misbah ul Haq anchored the chase with a patient 57 off 75 balls after Mohammed Irfan's 4 for 33 restricted South Africa to a low score of 191. ...
03:38 AM, Mar 16, 2013
Colin Ingram smashed an unbeaten century and seamer Rory Kleinveldt took 4 for 22 as South Africa defeated Pakistan by 125 runs in the 1st ODI. ...
10:06 PM, Mar 10, 2013
After Colin Ingram's century, SA pacers took center stage lead by Rory Kleinveldt (4/22), bundling out Pakistan for 190 in chase of 315 to win the 1st ODI by 125 runs. ...
01:11 PM, Mar 10, 2013
The PCB said that Mohammad Irfan and Shoaib Malik would remain in India with the national squad for the three-match ...
03:18 PM, Dec 29, 2012
Dhoni asserted that their bowlers needed to pitch the ball up and not bowl short after India lost to Pakistan by five wickets in the first T20. ...
11:15 PM, Dec 25, 2012
Hafeez (61) and Malik (57) played useful innings while Gul picked up three wickets to hand Pakistan their first T20 victory over India. ...
10:24 PM, Dec 25, 2012
Sania Mirza will be seen shaking a leg with her husband Shoaib Malik on the dance reality show 'Nach Baliye 5'. ...
05:21 PM, Dec 19, 2012
Tennis star Sania Mirza and her husband, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, are set to match steps on the dance reality show 'Nach Baliye 5'. Rumour mills have been abuzz about their participation in the show, but a formal announcement regarding their inclusion is set to be made here Wednesday. ...
04:54 PM, Dec 18, 2012
Greater Noida: Veteran cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who waved the chequered flag at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, will miss the second edition of the Formula One race to play a Ranji match for his Mumbai team. It has been learnt that Tendulkar, who is a motorsports enthusiast, decided to prefer practising with the team in Mumbai than coming here. Tendulkar, who is going through a lean patch, is scheduled to...
12:09 PM, Oct 26, 2012
Players from the visiting International World XI said overseas teams should return to tour Pakistan soon. ...
06:29 PM, Oct 22, 2012
Haris Sohail's unbeaten 63 off 57 balls were instrumental in Sialkot's six-wicket victory over Hampshire in the qualifying match of the Champions League. ...
12:53 AM, Oct 12, 2012
MS Dhoni says his side got the chance in the warm-up match to test which combination would be the right one for the tournament. ...
06:30 PM, Sep 17, 2012
Chasing 186, Pakistan won by five wickets thanks to their wicketkeeper's unbeaten 92 off 50 balls. ...
05:36 PM, Sep 17, 2012
It will be the first time that a Pakistani outfit will be appearing in the Champions League scheduled to be held in October. ...
08:38 AM, Aug 14, 2012
The selectors are mulling bringing the all-rounder back to the 50-overs format. ...
07:16 PM, Jul 23, 2012
Sialkot Stallions is led by Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain. ...
10:41 PM, Jul 06, 2012
PCB does not intend to issue a show cause notice to Shoaib Malik for playing in a club level match in New Delhi. ...
10:23 AM, Jun 15, 2012
Hafeez, Malik and Ajmal are among the eight players who said to have signed the central contracts. ...
09:22 PM, Jun 04, 2012
