Monday, October 18, 2010
Pakistan National Cricket Team
The Pakistan National Cricket Team is an International cricket team representing Pakistan. It is administrated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Pakistan is a member of the International Cricket Council and has professional teams representing in Test cricket, One Day International and Twenty20matches.
Pakistan are the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992 champions, ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup champions twice in 2004 and in 2006 making them the first and the only team to become back to back champions in the U-19 Cricket World Cup tournaments and they are also the ICC World Twenty20 2009 champions. Pakistan have been semi finalist 3 times in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2000, 2004 and 2009.
After gaining independence from the British Empire in 1946, Pakistan cricket was played before the first Pakistan national team was granted test match playing status. Documentation and archives show that during the 18th century, cricket was played on the western part of India and many successful Indian cricketers played for the English cricket team. It was not until 28 July 1952 that Pakistan started playing test match cricket. Their first match took place in Delhi against India on October of the same year. Their first international tour was to England during 1954. Over the half century, Pakistan has become one of the most challenging and unpredictable teams in the world, the team won the 1992 Cricket World Cup and were runners up in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. The country has produced several world-class players such as Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Mushtaq Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan.
As of October 2007, the Pakistani team has played 332 Test matches, winning 30.29%, losing 26.76% and drawing 42.94% of its games. The team is ranked sixth in the ICC Test Championship and fourth place in the ICC ODI Championship. On 28 August 2006, Pakistan won its debut Twenty20 International match in England and were runners up in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in September 2007. They won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
Shahzaib and Riaz added to Pakistan squads.
Shahzaib Hasan, the 20-year-old Karachi Dolphins opening batsman, and fast bower Wahab Riaz have been added to Pakistan's one-day and Twenty20 squads for the series against South Africa which starts October 26. The inclusions come after the pair's outstanding performance in last week's domestic Twenty20 competition, and swelled the size of Pakistan's limited-overs squads to an unusually large 17.
There have already been several controversies over the team selection for the South Africa tour. When the squad was initially announced earlier this month, no captain was named, and a day later Misbah-ul-Haq was surprisingly put in charge of the Test side. Then, coach Waqar Younis and limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi complained that the selection panel had not consulted them before picking the side.
Chief selector Mohsin Khan said the pair was included on the back of their performances in last week's Faysal Bank domestic Twenty20 competition. "Both Hasan and Riaz were outstanding in the Twenty20 national event so we recommended their names, which were approved by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt," Mohsin said.
Riaz, a 25-year-old who plays for Lahore Lions, was already in the Test squad, having impressed during the series against England, with a five-wicket haul on debut at The Oval. He was the best bowler in the domestic T20 event, helping Lahore to the title with his ten wickets at an average of 7.70 and a miserly economy-rate of 4.12. He was in the Twenty20 side against England as well, but hasn't played ODIs since June 2008.
Shahzaib also had a superb Faysal Bank T-20, topping the run charts with 281 in four matches, including a hundred and two half-centuries, at a strike-rate of 169.27 to steer Karachi to the finals. He first came into the spotlight during Pakistan's successful World Twenty20 campaign in 2009 but has struggled to cement his place.
Pakistan are currently having a week-long training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and are scheduled to leave for the UAE on October 24.
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
Shahzaib and Riaz added to Pakistan squads.
Shahzaib Hasan, the 20-year-old Karachi Dolphins opening batsman, and fast bower Wahab Riaz have been added to Pakistan's one-day and Twenty20 squads for the series against South Africa which starts October 26. The inclusions come after the pair's outstanding performance in last week's domestic Twenty20 competition, and swelled the size of Pakistan's limited-overs squads to an unusually large 17.
There have already been several controversies over the team selection for the South Africa tour. When the squad was initially announced earlier this month, no captain was named, and a day later Misbah-ul-Haq was surprisingly put in charge of the Test side. Then, coach Waqar Younis and limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi complained that the selection panel had not consulted them before picking the side.
Chief selector Mohsin Khan said the pair was included on the back of their performances in last week's Faysal Bank domestic Twenty20 competition. "Both Hasan and Riaz were outstanding in the Twenty20 national event so we recommended their names, which were approved by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt," Mohsin said.
Riaz, a 25-year-old who plays for Lahore Lions, was already in the Test squad, having impressed during the series against England, with a five-wicket haul on debut at The Oval. He was the best bowler in the domestic T20 event, helping Lahore to the title with his ten wickets at an average of 7.70 and a miserly economy-rate of 4.12. He was in the Twenty20 side against England as well, but hasn't played ODIs since June 2008.
Shahzaib also had a superb Faysal Bank T-20, topping the run charts with 281 in four matches, including a hundred and two half-centuries, at a strike-rate of 169.27 to steer Karachi to the finals. He first came into the spotlight during Pakistan's successful World Twenty20 campaign in 2009 but has struggled to cement his place.
Pakistan are currently having a week-long training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and are scheduled to leave for the UAE on October 24.
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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