Mahmood joins injury-hit Pakistan

Azhar Mahmood flies to South Africa on Monday as the latest reinforcement for Pakistan's injury-ravaged squad.

Mahmood, who played the last of his 139 one-day internationals in Australia in February 2005, could play in the second one-day match at Durban on 7 February.

"The team management has asked for a replacement for injured paceman Shabbir Ahmed," said selector Iqbal Qasim.

Shabbir, who hurt his groin, follows bowlers Shoaib Akhtar (hamstring) and Umar Gul (ankle) home with injury.

South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the five-match one-day series on Sunday with a 164-run victory at Centurion.

All-rounder Mahmood, 31, has 122 wickets at an average of 38.86 from 139 one-day internationals and has been in prime domestic form with 34 wickets in the past four matches.

Last month he told BBC Sport of his frustration at being left out of the 30-man World Cup probables list.

At the time, selector Wasim Bari said Pakistan wanted to use younger players but Mahmood could still be included in the final 15-man squad when it is named next week.

"I am very happy and was hoping that I would be recalled," Mahmood said.

"I have not given up hopes of playing in the World Cup and will do my best to give a performance which earns me a place in the squad."

Inzamam doubt for Twenty20 match

Twenty20 International, Johannesburg
South Africa v Pakistan
Play starts Friday 1600 GMT

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is doubtful for the Twenty20 international against South Africa on Friday.

He is still battling the back problem which restricted him on the last day of the final Test in Cape Town, won by the hosts for a 2-1 series verdict.

South Africa will rest Jacques Kallis, Andrew Hall, Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini and Andre Nel.

But skipper Graeme Smith insisted: "We're a powerful one-day team and we're confident."

He continued: "We've been pretty consistent in one-day cricket over the last few years and we would like to carry that on going forward to the World Cup."

The Twenty20 match in Johannesburg will be followed by five limited overs internationals and Smith added: "It should be a fantastic series.

"They've got some world-class players and a good all-round team. In South Africa we've had the better of them, but we've got to show them a lot of respect."

Pakistan's selection options have been increased by the arrival of all-rounders Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik.

All three have proven to be one-day match-winners in the past, with Afrida and Razzaq among the game's most destructive hitters.

The selectors have also opted to take another look at opener Imran Nazir, who played the last of his 61 one-day internationals in JUly 2004.

And there could be a chance for reserve keeper Zulqarnain Haider to stake a claim for a World Cup place following Kamran Akmal's undistinguished work behind the stumps in the Test matches.

"Sometimes a rest does you good as an international player, especially when you are going through a bad patch as Kamran is right now," chief selector Wasim Bari said earlier this week.

"I will recommend it to the management, though I am not sure how they will play it."

---

South Africa (from): Graeme Smith (captain), Jacques Kallis (vice-captain), Loots Bosman, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Andrè Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Roger Telemachus.

Pakistan (from): Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice-captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Zulqarnain Haider, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Asif, Abdul Rehman, Shabbir Ahmed, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Sami

Woolmer blasts Pakistan schedule

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer blamed a congested fixture schedule for his side's injuries after their 2-1 Test series defeat by South Africa.

Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul flew home before the Cape Town Test, leaving a tired Mohammad Asif to do most of the fast bowling in the five-wicket loss.

"Fatigue leads to injuries - it's a proven equation," Woolmer said.

"If you have too much fatigue, your back goes or you twinge a hamstring or get a stress fracture."

In the last six months Woolmer's men have had Test series against England, West Indies and South Africa, as well as 12 one-dayers including the Champions Trophy in India.

They now face a Twenty20 game and five ODIs against the Proteas before the World Cup in March.

He added: "The current schedules are ridiculous - cricket has to look at it. As a coach I have to manage these things.

"We've got Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar and Shabbir Ahmed sitting at home.

"Somewhere along the line the commercial aspects and the physical aspects of looking after players have to be revisited."

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was off the field for much of day three with a back injury.
Seamer Mohammad Sami struggled to bowl his one over after the webbing of his bowling hand was split while fielding on Saturday.

Despite those handicaps, a brave display from Asif gave the visitors hope of victory when two early wickets reduced South Africa to 39-4 in their pursuit of 161.

The 24-year-old took 19 wickets in the series and bowled 126 overs in the three-match series - a workload second only to leg-spinner Danish Kaneria.

"Asif has been incredible. He's a top quality bowler," Woolmer enthused.

"He's still young in Test cricket and has got a long way to mature but he's very close to the top of his trade already.

"With fine tuning and greater fitness levels he'll be a real force in the future of Pakistan cricket."

Yousuf to join national squad before second Test

Star batsman Mohammad Yousuf will fly for Johannesburg in the next couple of days to join the Pakistan team ahead of the second Test against South Africa starting from January 17 in Port Elizabeth, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said on Friday.
Yousuf, who missed the opening Test under progress at Centurion after his pregnant wife developed some complications, is now set to leave for South Africa after his wife gave birth to a baby girl on Friday.
“He (Yousuf) has been under stress because of his wife’s condition but now everything seems alright and he will catch a flight to South Africa in the next few days,” said the PCB official.
Yousuf is a key member of Pakistan’s batting line-up and his record-breaking run-spree in 2006 makes him all the more important for the tourists against a strong South African attack in the three-match Test series.
The Lahore batsman made a record 1788 runs from 12 Tests last year and broke several records including the prized landmark of most runs in a calendar year previously held by West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards in 1976.
Yousuf, who performed Hajj last month, was supposed to join his teammates ahead of the first Test but had to stay home to be with his wife who was scheduled to undergo surgery either on January 12th or 19th.
It was decided that in case the surgery was performed on January 12, which it was, he would leave for South Africa on the 14th.
“We think that he (Yousuf) would leave on Sunday but it would only be confirmed tomorrow,” said the PCB official.
Yousuf’s absence from the line-up was felt by Pakistan in the opening Test when they suffered a sort of a middle-order collapse at Centurion where they got out for 313 in the first innings in spite of a record third-wicket stand between Younis Khan and Yasir Hameed.
Yousuf now seems set to play in the second Test in Port Elizabeth, a development that should come as a relief for Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Meanwhile, reports coming on the injuries of medium pacer Umar Gul and all-rounder Shoaib Malik also appear to be positive.
The PCB official said that it is expected that both the players should be fit within the next week or so.
Gul, Pakistan’s most successful bowler in the last six months, was forced to miss the opening Test because of an ankle injury.
Pakistan rushed fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar to South Africa as Gul’s cover but he also missed the Centurion Test after failing to find a flight in time to reach South Africa.
Shoaib arrived in Johannesburg on Friday and straight away joined his teammates in the dressing room on the second day of the first Test. He is expected to feature in the second Test next week.

1st Test-Pakistan Vs Southafrica

As u all might be knowing already that the 1st test between pakistan Vs Southafrica will be played today(thursday).The match will start at 1:30pm PST (GMT +5).
Pakistan after reaching Southafrica has faced a lot of pre-match injuries,off which most important one is of Umar gul.He is the main striker and his absence can really affect Paki world-class bowling attack.A lot of Ups and Down are in Pakistan cricket at the moment like always.
Whereas,If we take a look at graeme Smith and his men,they must be very confident after outclassing India in both the ODI's and Tests.Still if they want to win,they'll really have to work hard.u know,cricket is a game of uncertainities:)
SA coach while talking to Internatinal media said that Pakistan will miss there star batsmen Muhammad yousuf-which might not be able to play in the whole series and for sure in the 1st test due to a complicated pregnancy to his wife-but still pakistan's batting is very strong.He said that he can't believe if Shoaib akhtar has been made part of playing XI.
Do remeber to visit my blog on anf after 1:30pm for latest news,stories and match scorecard.I'll try my level best to keep u people informed.
If u ready my posts,please leave your comments.They really appreciate people like me to think of more even.........:)
Related Posts:
First Test between Pakistan VS SouthAfrica
Shoaib ruled out of 1st Test

First test between Pakistan, S Africa tomorrow

CENTURION: The first Test of a three-match series between Pakistan and South Africa starting here from tomorrow (Thursday).

Pakistan, already with five fast bowlers in their squad, added a sixth Shoaib Akhtar as cover for Umar Gul, who suffered with an ankle injury during the team's warm-up match against the Rest of South Africa at the weekend.

Akhtar’s expected return to the Pakistan team was delayed on Tuesday after he failed to find a flight to South Africa in time for the first Test match.

Pakistan will be without star batsman Mohammad Yousuf, who is in Pakistan with his ill wife, who is expecting a baby soon, and all-rounder Shoaib Malik, who is injured.

Delayed Shoaib says he is raring to have a go

KARACHI: Shoaib Akhtar’s expected return to the Pakistan team was delayed on Tuesday after he failed to find a flight to South Africa in time for the first Test match but the speedster says he is not disappointed.
“It is great to be back and even though I was looking forward to the opening Test, I’m not really disappointed at missing it because there would be two more matches to go in the series against South Africa,” said Shoaib, while talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday.
Shoaib was recalled to the Test squad on Monday after being initially snubbed by the national selectors on fitness grounds.
Pakistan are to begin their Test campaign against South Africa with the first Test at Centurion on Thursday and were desperate to have Shoaib in their ranks after medium-pacer Umar Gul suffered an ankle injury.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials tried to rush him to South Africa on Monday but in spite of hectic efforts they were unable to get him a flight for Johannesburg. The pacer is now expected to leave either today or tomorrow and would be available for selection for the second Test starting from January 19 in Port Elizabeth.
Shoaib, 31, said he is itching to bowl again and would work hard to return with a bang in the second Test.
“I’m fit and raring to go,” said Shoaib, who last played a Test almost a year ago against India in Karachi.
Since then he has been out of the Test arena either due to injury or suspension and is still under the threat of a doping scandal.
Shoaib was banned for two years last November after testing positive for nandrolone, a performance-enhancing drug, but was later cleared after filing a successful appeal against the punishment.
However, the case has been sent to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which has challenged the decision to clear Shoaib and another Pakistani fast bowler, Mohammad Asif, of doping charges.
Shoaib, however, believes he considers the case is closed. “I have been cleared by a competent committee and do not believe I’m under any kind of threat. I don’t even think about it anymore,” said Shoaib.
Though he tried to be diplomatic, the outspoken Shoaib expressed himself on several issues including his uneasy relationship with captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.
“I believe as captain Inzamam should be more supportive of his team-mates especially if they are going through a rough time,” said Shoaib indirectly referring to Inzamam’s alleged role in getting him dropped from a 17-member squad that was sent to South Africa earlier this month.
Shoaib was ignored on the grounds that he lacked match fitness though there was a whispering campaign in the national cricket circles that suggested that he was dropped on the insistence of Inzamam.
“As a captain, it is Inzamam’s responsibility to keep the players united,” he added.
Shoaib said that he has a lot of fire in his belly and was looking forward to a good showing in South Africa and later in the World Cup in the West Indies in March-April.

Yousuf may miss entire South Africa Test series

KARACHI: Pakistan’s prolific batsman Mohammad Yousuf has been ruled out of the first Test against South Africa starting at Centurion later this week and might miss the entire series.
Yousuf, who scored a record 1788 runs in 2006, has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that he has to stay home with his wife who is expected to undergo surgery either on January 12th or 19th.
The PCB announced on Monday that Yousuf would certainly miss the first Test getting underway from Thursday but might make it for the remaining two matches.
“Yousuf had a meeting with the Board officials today and requested that he needs to be with his wife at the time of her surgery which is expected to take place either on the 12th or 19th of this month depending on her condition,” said the PCB announcement.
The statement added: “In case the surgery takes place on 12th, the star batsman will leave on 14th January to join the team in South Africa whereas he will leave on 21st January in case the surgery takes place on 19th”.
Yousuf did not accompany the touring party that left for South Africa last week as he went to perform Hajj last month. However, he was scheduled to join his teammates over the weekend but changed his plans after his wife developed some complications in her pregnancy.
A key member of the Pakistan team, Yousuf could be out of the entire series if he fails to reach South Africa in time to feature the second Test to be played in Port Elizabeth from January 19. The Pakistan team management would find it difficult to induct Yousuf in the line-up for the third Test in Cape Town without any match practice if the Lahore-based batsman misses the first two matches.
However, a PCB official said that chances are that Yousuf would play some role in the Test series against South Africa. After breaking several batting records in 2006 in which he scored nine Test centuries, Yousuf missed two One-day Internationals (ODIs) against the visiting West Indies in December because of his wife’s condition.
Pakistan won the ODI series 4-1 but would face major problems in the absence of their most in-form batsman against a strong South African team that recently won a Test series against India 2-1. They have suffered two more setbacks after all-rounder Shoaib Malik and medium-pacer Umar Gul received injury blows ahead of the opening Test against South Africa.

Shoaib called up as Gul cover

Shoaib Akhtar has been called up to Pakistan's squad in South Africa as cover for Umar Gul, who picked up an injury during the warm-up match against Rest of South Africa.

Akhtar was originally left out of the 17-man party after the selectors expressed concern over his fitness levels following his appeal from the drugs ban handed to him and Mohammad Asif. However, in the current round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches Shoaib has taken a five-wicket haul for Islamabad.

Aamir Bilal, a Pakistan spokesman, told AFP: "Akhtar will fly out on the first available flight to South Africa as a back-up for fast bowler Gul, who was injured during a tour game."

Akhtar has not played for Pakistan since the one-day series against England four months ago. He was banned for two years, and fellow paceman Asif for one year, in November after both tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone before the Champions Trophy.

However, a Pakistan Cricket Board appeals committee overturned the bans last month on the grounds that neither player took the banned substances knowingly.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has challenged the decision and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said last week that it is likely to rule on the appeal against the lifting of bans within four months.

The first Test against South Africa starts at Centurion Park on Thursday.

© Cricinfo

Ankle injury restricts Umar Gul bowling

KIMBERLEY, South Africa: Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul bowled just three overs on Sunday on the second day of the touring team’s three-day match here against the Rest of South Africa. Coach Bob Woolmer said Gul had been troubled by a “left ankle niggle” and he had been given a limited workload as a precautionary measure. Pakistan start the first of three Tests against South Africa at Centurion on Thursday. Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq did not bat because of a chest infection. “Because he wasn’t feeling well, it was decided it would not be sensible for him to go out and bat in the hot sun,” said Woolmer. “But he will probably be able to bat if we get a second knock tomorrow (Monday).”

Fifth-wicket pair tames Pakistani bowlers

KIMBERLEY: After a day of batting fireworks on the Saturday’s first day, the bowlers had their way somewhat on the second day of the Pakistanis’ South Africa tour opener, here at the De Beers Diamond Oval on Sunday.
Resuming at their overnight 401 for three, boosted by centuries by opening batsmen Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat, the Pakistanis lost nine wickets for 485 before skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, who himself didn’t bat, applied closure.
Rest of South Africa lost their first four wickets with only 84 runs on the board. Then, an unbroken stand of 136 for the fifth wicket bailed them out as they replied with a score of 220 for four by the day’s close.
Skipper Morne van Wyk has hit 70 not out off 135 balls with nine fours. His partner, the left-handed Arno Jacobs, is at the crease with an unbeaten 69 that’s come off 110 deliveries with 10 boundaries.
Earlier, paceman Albie Morkel finished with figures of five for 113. Younis Khan was dismissed for 76 runs after having faced 128 balls and hit seven fours. Medium-fast Shahid Nazir and off-spinner Hafeez shared the wickets for the Pakistanis.
Today (Monday) is the last day of the three-day match.
Scoreboard
Pakistanis won toss
Pakistanis 1st inns (overnight 401-3)
Mohammad Hafeez retired out 108
Imran Farhat retired out 106
Yasir Hameed c Bodi b Abdullah 79
Younis Khan c van Wyk b Morkel 76
Faisal Iqbal c Bodi b Morkel 42
†Kamran Akmal c van Wyk b Morkel 33
Umar Gul c van Jaarsveld b Morkel 0
Shahid Nazir c van Wyk b Morkel 4
Danish Kaneria c Botha b Kruger 14
Mohammad Asif not out 5
Extras (lb16, w1, nb1) 18
Total (9 wkts dec, 111.1 overs) 485
Did not bat: *Inzamam-ul-Haq
Fall: 1-182, 2-232, 3-340, 4-414, 5-431, 6-437, 7-442, 8-469, 9-485
Bowling: Kruger 22.1-4-72-1; Abdullah 20-3-82-1 (1nb); Morkel 26-1-113-5 (1w); Adams 19-3-89-0; Botha 21-0-102-0; Bodi 3-0-11-0

Rest of South Africa 1st inns
H H Dippenaar b Shahid 5
G H Bodi c Younis b Hafeez 25
J P Duminy c Younis b Shahid 29
V B van Jaarsveld lbw b Hafeez 17
*†M N van Wyk not out 70
A Jacobs not out 69
Extras (lb4, nb1) 5
Total (4 wkts, 68 overs) 220
To bat: P R Adams, J Botha, G J P Kruger, J A Morkel, Y A Abdullah
Fall: 1-20, 2-53, 3-63, 4-84
Bowling: Mohammad Asif 15-5-41-0; Umar Gul 3-2-3-0; Shahid Nazir 12-2-33-2 (1nb); Mohammad Hafeez 15-3-61-2; Danish Kaneria 20-3-66-0; Imran Farhat 3-0-12-0
Umpires: B G Jerling and R E Koertzen. Match referee: A Barnes

Yousuf likely to miss first Test

Pakistan's record-breaking batsman Mohammad Yousuf is likely to miss the first Test against South Africa because of his wife's illness.

"Yousuf has intimated to us that his wife has a complicated pregnancy," said Pakistan official Ehsan Malik.

"She is to be operated upon on 12 January. We are assuming he will miss the first Test."

The opening match of Pakistan's three-Test series against South Africa begins on Thursday at Centurion.

Yousuf, 32, passed Viv Richards' 30-year-old record of most runs in a year this season and also set a new mark of nine Test hundreds.

He scored 1,788 runs in 2006 from 19 innings at an average of 99.33.

Richards' record, which had stood since 1976, was 1,710 runs in 12 months.

Pak VS rest of SA-day 2

Play of the day 2 of the three day match between Pak vs Rest of SA is being played today.Pakistani batsmen have performed excellent and they really need round of applause.specially the Opening batsmen Muhammad Hafeez and Imran farhat.Here is the scorecard of the match played so far.



Note:click on the scorecard to enlarge.
Awaiting your comments:)

Tour Match:Rest of SA vs Pak

So,Pakistan has started their tour of Sa with a tour match against rest of SA whereas the actuall SA team is fighting with India in the 3rd and last test match of the series.

The match started at 10:30am Local time.Pakistan Won the toss and decided to bat first.Both the pakistani openers played sweetly and deliciously.I feel its like a good start of the tour.
At lunch,Pakistan are 106/0 with Imran fahat:50* and Muhammad Hafeez:53*.
Here is the scorecard:



Note:Click on the scorecard to enlarge.

comment on Pakistan's performance.

Van Wyk to lead Rest of SA against Pakistan

KARACHI: Pakistan will face a strong local team when they kick start their tour of South Africa with a three-day warm-up game in Kimberly on Saturday.
Big-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman Morne van Wyk will lead the Rest of South Africa squad in the practice game that is the only side game Pakistan would play ahead of the three-match Test series scheduled to get underway from January 11 at Centurion.
Van Wyk will spearhead a team that has a number of accomplished South African cricketers including Paul Adams, Boeta Dippenaar, Johan Botha and JP Duminy.
Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who impressed when he lined up against the Indians, is given another chance to press for higher honours and Albie Morkel, the brother of Morne Morkel who made his Test debut against India at Durban, is also in the squad.
The surprise inclusion in the team is that of Yusuf Abdullah, a 23-year-old left-arm paceman from the Dolphins, who has played just three first-class matches.
Pakistan are expected to announce their team for the practice match on Thursday.
Rest of South Africa squad: Boeta Dippenaar, Arno Jacobs, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, JP Duminy, Gulam Bodi, Morne van Wyk (captain), Albie Morkel, Johan Botha, Yusuf Abdullah, Garnett Kruger, Paul Adams.

We will perform better than India, says Younis

KARACHI: Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan vowed his team would return successfully from South Africa and at least would show better performance than their backdoor neighbours, India displayed against the Protease in one-dayers.
“We are all set for the high profile series and our side will show at least better performance than the Indians did in the one-day series,” the middle-order batsman told mediamen here on Tuesday, before Pakistani squad departure, referring to the Indians’ 0-4 drubbing at the hands of South Africans in their recent One-day International (ODI) series.
Younis said the upcoming series would give his side a good experience before the World Cup in the Caribbean.
“As the South African series is a tough test, it will provide us a good experience before the World Cup in the West Indies,” he said.
Younis, 29, said that his team’s batsmen had enough practice during their short conditioning camp in Lahore to cope with bouncy pitches in South Africa and hoped they will live up to the expectations during the six-week long tour.
Younis believed that the bowlers hold the key for Pakistan in the tour and would play main role in team’s victory in South Africa.
“We are looking towards our bowling department as our ‘trump card’ in the series as we’ve the best attack in the world which I think is better than Australia”, he expressed.

Inzamam upbeat as Pakistan embark on South African safari

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is upbeat about his team’s chances of putting up a solid showing during the tour of South Africa ahead of this year’s all-important assignment - the World Cup in the West Indies.
“We will be taking part in the World Cup immediately after the tour of South Africa which makes it very crucial for us,” Inzamam told reporters on Tuesday night, just before the Pakistani squad’s departure for Johannesburg for the 40-day tour that includes three Tests, five One-day Internationals (ODIs) and a Twenty20 game.
The tour, that begins with a three-day practice game against South Africa A at Kimberly on January 6, would end on Valentines’ Day just a month before Pakistan’s World Cup opener against hosts the West Indies at Jamaica on March 13.
Pakistan have an unimpressive record in South Africa where they lost a series just before the 2003 World Cup but Inzamam said that this time his team was fully ready for the job.
“We are taking a very balanced team on this tour and I am confident of getting some positive results in South Africa,” said Inzamam who is at the helm of a 17-member squad that looks stronger than the one that beat the West Indies 2-0 in a Test series at home this winter because of return of medium pacer Mohammad Asif.
Asif and fellow new-ball partner Shoaib Akhtar missed the home series because of doping bans but were available for selection after being cleared by an appeals committee last month.
Pakistan opted to bring back Asif but controversially overlooked Shoaib on the grounds that the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ lacked match fitness. However, there were unconfirmed reports that it was Inzamam who made it sure that Shoaib is ignored for the tour.
Inzamam got visibly upset when asked whether he got Shoaib dropped at the Jinnah International Terminal. “I would not like to comment on it,” he retorted and walked away to join his teammates to board the aircraft.
However, in another interview he denied having anything against Shoaib. “It is a totally wrong impression that it was because of me that Shoaib is not in the team. He was only dropped because the selection committee thought he needed more time to get fully fit and I believe once he is in shape, Shoaib could be playing in the one-day series against South Africa,” he explained.
Some experts believe that Pakistan could be a bit handicapped without the pace of Shoaib, who once helped them record rare Test triumph in South Africa.
However, Inzamam said that his team has enough firepower to beat the South Africans. “We have several bowlers who are in good form and I expect them to do well in South Africa,” he said.
Inzamam said that Pakistan will go all out in the forthcoming series in a bid to gain confidence ahead of the World Cup.
“This series is going to help us get ready for the World Cup and it is really important for us to come out with a strong showing in it,” he said.
The experienced batsman believes Pakistan can do a better job than the Indians are currently doing in South Africa. Rahul Dravid’s men made a comeback in the series after a thrashing in the one-dayers by winning the opening Test in style. Their Test series against South Africa is tied 1-1 with the final match under progress in Cape Town.
Squad: Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice-captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Mohammad Sami, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Zulqarnain Haider, Shahid Nazir.
Tour schedule
January
6-8: Rest of South Africa, Kimberley
11-15: First Test, Centurion
19-23: Second Test, Port Elizabeth
26-30: Third Test, Cape Town
February
2: Twenty20 international,
Johannesburg (day-night)
4: First One-day International,
Centurion (day)
7: Second One-day International,
Durban (day-night)
9: Third One-day International,
Port Elizabeth (day-night)
11: Fourth One-day International,
Cape Town (day)
14: Fifth One-day International,
Johannesburg (day-night)

Woolmer seeks to use SA knowledge

JOHANNESBURG: Former South Africa coach Bob Woolmer will seek to put his knowledge of local players and conditions to good use on Pakistan’s tour of South Africa which starts on Wednesday. Woolmer, who has coached Pakistan since 2004, was coach of South Africa between 1994 and 1999 and still has a home in Cape Town, where he has been on holiday prior to joining up with his new charges. Pakistan have moved up to third place in both the Test and one-day rankings since Woolmer took over and have a solid recent record. Since being beaten 3-0 by Australia in the 2004/05 season, soon after Woolmer’s appointment, they have lost only Test series, in England last year, and have defeated England at home, India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

Pakistan cricket team left on SA tour

Captain Inzamamul Huque has termed the South African tour a difficult one, where the Pakistan team would be playing series of three tests and five one-day matches.

Skipper Inzamamul Huque, Imran Farhat, Muhammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Zulqarnain Haider, Shahid Nazir, Rana Naveedul Hassan and Muhammad Asif would be reaching here from Lahore, while Yunus Khan, Umar Gul and Yasir Hameed from Peshawar.

Pakistan cricket team captain Inzamamul Huque, terming the South African tour a difficult one, said that defeating the host team would not be easy. He said that the way South Africans came back into the series against India after losing the first test showed the host team’s form and fighting spirit. Pakistan team would have to muster 100 percent performance in all segments of the game.

Pakistan greats criticise Akhtar's exclusion

Former bowling greats have criticised the dropping of paceman Shoaib Akhtar from Pakistan's 17-man team for the South Africa tour starting next week.

Pakistani selectors said Akhtar lacked fitness for a five-day Test despite bowling 21 overs in a four-day first class match and featuring in a domestic Twenty20 tournament.

"There must have been some compelling reasons to keep a bowler like Akhtar out of the team, reasons we don't know," Imran Khan said.

The 31-year-old Akhtar has not played for Pakistan since a one-day match against England three months ago.

He was banned for two years, and fellow paceman Mohammad Asif for one year, last month after both tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in October.

A Pakistan Cricket Board committee overturned the bans earlier this month on the grounds that the pair did not take the banned substances knowingly.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has challenged the decision and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is likely to hear WADA's appeal this week.

"It is tough to keep a fully fit Akhtar out of the team - he is a match winner. If selectors feel he is not fit, then they must watch him in a match, and if found fit he should be sent on the first available flight," Khan continued.

Khan's former new-ball partner, Sarfraz Nawaz, said Akhtar's exclusion had eased pressure on South Africa.

"Now with Akhtar not in the team, South Africa will prepare fast pitches, as there would be little pressure on them," said Nawaz, who played 55 Tests for Pakistan.

Former medium-pacer Aaqib Javed said questioning of Akhtar's fitness was surprising to him.

"I watched Akhtar bowl in the Twenty20 and I saw no reason to question his fitness, but I think selectors have different ways," said Javed, who played 21 Tests for Pakistan.

"But having said this, I expected Akhtar to be 100 per cent fit after he missed cricket due to the doping issue.

"I think the selectors should have still sent him and waited for the second and third Test, because you need to have match winners in the squad, as it keeps pressure on the opponents."

The Pakistan team will leave on Tuesday and open the tour with a three-day game against South Africa A at Kimberley from January 6, before playing the first Test at Centurion from January 11.