Pakistan Criket: July 2011

Thursday 7 July 2011

Pakistan national cricket team

Pakistan
Pakistan cricket crest
Test status granted	1952
First Test match	v India at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi in India, 16–18 October 1952.
Captain	Test & ODI:Misbah Ul-Haq T20I: Vacant
Coach	Waqar Younis^[1]
Official ICC Test and ODI ranking	6th in Test cricket, 6th in One Day International [2]
Test matches - This year	358 4
Last Test match	v West Indies at Basseterre, St Kitts , Warner Park in West Indies. From 20–24 May 2011,
Wins/losses - This year	108/100 2/1
As of {{{asofdate}}}

The Pakistan cricket team is the national men's cricket team of Pakistan. It is administrated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Pakistan is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in Test, ODI and Twenty20 International cricket matches.
Pakistan have played 358 Test matches, with winning 108, losing 100 and drawing 150. The team has the 3rd-best win/loss ratio in Test cricket of 1.08, and the 4th-best overall win percentage of 30.16%.^[2] Pakistan was given Test status on 28 July, 1952, following a recommendation by India, and made its Test debut against India at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, in October 1952, with India winning by an innings and 70 runs.^[3] Previously, Pakistani cricketers had competed as a part of the Indian national team before the partition of India.
Pakistan have played 748 ODIs, winning 400, losing 326, tying 6 and with 24 ending in no-result.^[4] Pakistan were the 1992 World Cup champions, and also came runners-up in the 1999 tournament. Pakistan, in conjunction with other countries on the Subcontinent, have hosted the 1987, 1996 and 2011 World Cups, with the 1996 final being hosted at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The team has also played 46 Twenty20 Internationals, the most of any team, winning 27, losing 18 and tying 1.^[5] Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and came runners-up in the inaugural tournament in 2007.

History

Main article: History of the Pakistani cricket team

See also: Cricket in Pakistan, History of cricket in Pakistan from 1947 to 1970, History of cricket in Pakistan from 1971 to 1985, History of cricket in Pakistan from 1986 to 2000, and History of cricket in Pakistan from 2001

Following the Partition of India in 1947 and the establishment of the separate province of Pakistan, cricket in the country developed steadily and Pakistan was given Test match status at a meeting of the Imperial Cricket Conference at Lord's Cricket Ground in England on 28 July 1952 following recommendation by India,^[6] which, being the successor state of the British Raj, did not have to go through such a process. The first captain of the Pakistan national cricket team was Abdul Kardar.
Pakistan’s first Test match was played in Delhi in October 1952 as part of a five Test series which India won 2-1. Pakistan made their first tour of England in 1954 and drew the series 1-1 after a memorable victory at The Oval in which fast bowler Fazal Mahmood took 12 wickets. Pakistan’s first home Test match was in Dacca in January 1955 against India, after which four more Test matches were played in Bahawalpur, Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi (all five matches in the series were drawn, the first such occurrence in test history^[7]).

Pakistan playing against Australia at Lord's in England.

The team is considered a strong but unpredictable team. Traditionally Pakistani cricket has been filled with players of great talent but limited discipline, making them a team which could play inspirational cricket one day and then perform less than ordinarily another day. Over the years, competitions between India and Pakistan have always been emotionally charged and provide for intriguing contests, as talented teams and players from both sides of the border elevate their game to new levels to produce high-quality cricket. Pakistani contest with India in the Cricket World Cup have seen packed stadiums and elevated atmospheres no matter where the World Cup has been held.

1992 Cricket World Cup

Main article: 1992 Cricket World Cup

Imran Khan Celebrate Of His Victory Of 1992 World Cup

At the 1992 World Cup Semi Final, having won the toss, New Zealand chose to bat first and ended with a total of 262 runs. Pakistan batted conservatively yet lost wickets at regular intervals. With the departure of Imran Khan and Saleem Malik shortly thereafter, Pakistan still required 115 runs at a rate of 7.67 runs per over with veteran Javed Miandad being the only known batsman remaining at the crease. A young Inzamam-ul-Haq, who had just turned 22 and was not a well-known player at the time, burst onto the international stage with a match-winning 60 off 37 balls. Once Inzamam got out, Pakistan required 36 runs from 30 balls, which wicketkeeper Moin Khan ended with a towering six over long off, followed by the winning boundary to midwicket. The match is seen as the emergence of Inzamam onto the international stage.
The 1992 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand marked Pakistan's first World Cup victory. It is remembered for the comeback Pakistan made after losing key players such as Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar and being led by an injured captain in Imran Khan. Pakistan lost 4 of their first 5 matches and were nearly eliminated in the first round of the tournament after being bowled out for 74 runs against England, until the match was declared as a "no result" due to rain. Imran Khan famously told the team to play as "cornered tigers", after which Pakistan won five successive matches, including, most famously, the semi-final against hosts New Zealand and the final against England.^[13]

2007 Cricket World Cup

The 2007 Cricket World Cup was one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history when Pakistan was knocked out of the competition in a shock defeat to Ireland, who were playing in their first competition. Pakistan, needing to win to qualify for the next stage after losing to the West Indies in their opening match, were put into bat by Ireland. They lost wickets regularly and only 4 batsmen scored double figures. In the end they were bowled out by the Irish for 132 runs. The Irish went on to win the match, after Niall O'Brien scored 72 runs. This meant that Pakistan had been knocked out during the first round for the second consecutive World CupTragedy struck the team when coach Bob Woolmer died one day later on 18 March 2007 in a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. Jamaican police spokesman, Karl Angell, reported on 23 March 2007 that, "Mr Woolmer's death was due to asphyxiation as a result of manual strangulation" and that, "Mr Woolmer's death is now being treated by the Jamaica police as a case of murder."^[17] Assistant coach Mushtaq Ahmed acted as temporary coach for the team's final group game of the tournament.^[18] Subsequent to his team's defeat and the death of Woolmer, Inzamam-ul-Haq announced his resignation as captain of the team and his retirement from one-day cricket, stating that he would continue to take part in Test cricket but not as captain.^[19] Shoaib Malik was announced as his successor.^[20] Following his return to the squad, Salman Butt was appointed as vice-captain until December 2007.^[21]

On 23 March 2007, Pakistan players and officials were questioned by Jamaican police and submitted DNA samples along with fingerprints, as part of the routine enquiries in the investigation into Woolmer's murder.^[22] Three days after leaving the West Indies for Pakistan, via London, the Pakistan team were ruled out as suspects. The deputy commissioner of Jamaican police. Mark Shields, the detective in charge of the investigation, announced, "It's fair to say they are now being treated as witnesses." "I have got no evidence to suggest it was anybody in the squad."^[23] A memorial service was held in Sacred Heart Church, Lahore, for Bob Woolmer on 1 April 2007. Among the attendees were Pakistan players and dignitaries, including Inzamam-ul-Haq, who was quoted as saying, "After Woolmer's family, the Pakistan team was the most aggrieved by his death."^[24] After the World Cup ended, serious doubts were raised about the investigation, with increasing speculation that Woolmer died of natural causes. This has now been accepted as fact, and the case has been closed.^[25] Pakistan Qualified for Final Of T20 2009 beating SouthAfrica by 7 runs in 1st semifinal.

Shahid Afridi batting against Sri Lanka in the ICC World Twenty20 Final at Lord's in England.

2011 Cricket World Cup

Pakistan started well in the ICC Cricket World up, which was held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, after beating Kenya, Sri Lanka(one of the tournament favourites) and narrowly beating Canada. After a huge loss against New Zealand, Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by 7 wickets.'. One of the highlights of the tournament for Pakistan was when they beat Australia, who were led by 3 brilliant pace bowlers, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson. However Pakistan defied the odds and defeated Australia, courtesy of a brilliant bowling display. In the Quarter-Finals they played West Indies. Pakistan were ruthless, as they emphatically beat the West Indies by 10 wickets,due to another brilliant bowling display.
in the Semi-Finals On March 30, Pakistan had a match with its fiercest rival, India. Up to 1 billion people were expected to watch the two cricketing giants lock horns. India, due to Tendulkar who was dropped several times, managed 260 after they batted first. Due to a slow chase, Pakistan were 29 runs short as India reached the final(India went on to win the final). After the match, the captain Shahid Khan Afridi said sorry to his nation and left the stadium.

Governing body

Main article: Pakistan Cricket Board

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is responsible for all first class and Test cricket played in Pakistan and by the Pakistan cricket team. It was admitted to the International Cricket Council in July 1953. The corporation has been run by former cricketers, professional administrators and trustees, who are often respected businessmen. The Board governs a network of teams sponsored by corporations and banks, city associations and clubs including advertising, broadcasting rights and internet partners.^[28]
. The PCB's experiment with the Twenty20 cricket model has also proven popular and hopes to similarly revive popular interest in domestic games,which it did. The PCB also set up major domestic competitions such as the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the ANZ Trophy.^[29]

Tournament history

World Cup	World Twenty20	Champions Trophy	Asia Cup	Australasia Cup	Asian Test Championship	Commonwealth Games
1975: First Round 1979: Semi Finals 1983: Semi Finals 1987: Semi Finals 1992: Champions 1996: Quarter Finals 1999: Runners Up 2003: First round 2007: First round 2011: Semi Finals (3rd Place)	2007: Runners Up 2009: Champions 2010: Semi Finals	1998: Quarter Finals 2000: Semi Finals 2002: First round 2004: Semi Finals 2006: First round 2009: Semi Finals	1984: Third Place 1986: Runners Up 1988: Third Place 1990-91: Did not participate 1995: Third Place 1997: Third Place 2000: Champions 2004: Third Place 2008: Third Place 2010: Third Place	1986: Champions 1990: Champions 1994: Champions