Pakistan national cricket team
| Pakistan Cricket Team پاکستان کرکٹ ٹیم | |
|---|---|
 Pakistan cricket crest | |
| Test status acquired | 1952 |
| First Test match |
v  India at Delhi, 16–18 October 1952. |
| Captain |
Misbah-ul-Haq (Test and ODI) Mohammad Hafeez (T20) |
| Coach |
 Dav Whatmore |
| Official ICC Test, ODI and T20I ranking |
4th (Test) 6th (ODI) 4th (T20) |
| Test matches – This year |
380 2 |
| Last Test match |
 Sri Lanka at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, 16-20 January 2014 |
| Wins/losses – This year |
118/107 1/1 |
| As of 21 January 2014 | |
The Pakistan cricket team (Urdu: پاکستان کرکٹ ٹیم) is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the team is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and participates in Test, ODI and Twenty20 International cricket matches. Currently Pakistan is ranked fourth as per the ICC Test rankings.[1] Pakistan have played 812 ODIs, winning 434 (55.09%), losing 353, tying 8 and with 17 ending in no-result.[2] Pakistan were the 1992 World Cup champions, and also came runners-up in the 1999 tournament and are the current Asian Champions. Pakistan, in conjunction with other countries in South Asia, have hosted the 1987 and 1996 World Cups, with the 1996 final being hosted at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The team has also played 78 Twenty20 Internationals, the most of any team, winning 47 losing 29 and tying 2.[3] Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and came runners-up in the inaugural tournament in 2007. They are the sole winners of the Asian Test Championship of 1999.
Pakistan have played 380 Test matches, with winning 118, losing 107 and drawing 155. The team has the 3rd-best win/loss ratio in Test cricket of 1.10, and the 5th-best overall win percentage of 31.05%.[4] 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 Ground, Delhi, in October 1952, with India winning by an innings and 70 runs.[5] In the 1950s, several Pakistani Test players had played Test cricket for the Indian cricket team before the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
History
Cricket in Pakistan has a history of even before the creation of the country in 1947. The first ever international cricket match in Karachi was held on 22 November 1935 between Sindh and Australian cricket teams. The match was seen by 5000 Karachites.[6] Following the independence of Pakistan in 1947, 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,[7] 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 Hafeez 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 Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dacca, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). 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[8]).
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 contests with India in the Cricket World Cup have seen packed stadiums and elevated atmospheres no matter where the World Cup has been held.
1986 Austral-Asia Cup
The 1986 Austral-Asia Cup, played in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, is remembered as a famous last-ball victory for Pakistan against arch-rivals India, with Javed Miandad emerging as a national hero.[9] India batted first and set a target of 245 runs, leaving Pakistan with a required run rate of 4.92 runs per over. Javed Miandad came in to bat at number 3 and Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals. Later recalling the match, Miandad stated that his main focus was to lose with dignity. With 31 runs needed in the last three overs, Miandad hit a string of boundaries while batting with his team's lower order, until four runs were required from the last delivery of the match. Miandad received a leg side full toss from Chetan Sharma, which he hit for six over the midwicket boundary.[9][10]
1992 Cricket 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.[11][12][13]
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 3 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.[14]
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 Cup.[15][16][17] Tragedy 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."[18] Assistant coach Mushtaq Ahmed acted as temporary coach for the team's final group game of the tournament.[19] 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.[20] Shoaib Malik was announced as his successor.[21] Following his return to the squad, Salman Butt was appointed as vice-captain until December 2007.[22]
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.[23] 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."[24] 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."[25] 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.[26]
On 20 April 2007, a PCB official announced that former Test cricketer Talat Ali would act as interim coach, in addition to his rôle as team manager, until a new coach had been appointed.[27] On 16 July 2007, Geoff Lawson, previously head coach of New South Wales, was appointed coach of the Pakistan for two years, becoming the third foreigner to take on the rôle.[28] In the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, Pakistan exceeded expectations to reach the final but ended as runners-up, after losing the final to India in a nail-biting finish. On 25 October 2008, Intikhab Alam was named as a national coach of the team by the PCB.
2009 ICC World T20
On 21 June 2009 Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, beating Sri Lanka in the final by eight wickets. Pakistan had begun the tournament slowly losing two of their first three matches but after dismissing New Zealand for 99 runs in the Super 8 stage they had a run of four consecutive wins including beating previously unbeaten South Africa, in the semi-final and Sri Lanka in the Final.
2011 Cricket World Cup
Pakistan started well in the ICC Cricket World Cup, 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 30 March, Pakistan had a match with its fiercest rival, India. India, due to Tendulkar who was dropped several times in a very poor fielding display, managed 260 after they batted first. Not having a good batting line-up along with a slow start to the chase, Pakistan were 29 runs short as India reached the final (India went on to win the final). Pakistan have never defeated India in an ODI World Cup match to date, losing in all 5 matches contested between the two sides.
2012 ICC T20I World Cup
On 11 July 2012, Pakistan announced the provisional 30-man squad for the ICC T20I World Cup finally decided their 15-man squad by September.[29] Pakistan began their campaign by topping their group, with wins over New Zealand and Bangladesh. The team qualified for the semi-finals by overcoming South Africa and Australia in the Super Eight stage which also included India. Pakistan met Sri Lanka in the semi-finals on 4 October and lost by 16 runs, getting knocked out of the tournament. The captain's decision to let Abdul Razzaq, and Asad Shafiq sit out of the match instead of Shahid Afridi was heavily criticised by supporters.[30] Criticism also came from letting out-of-form Umar Gul play every single match instead of Mohammad Sami. However, Pakistan is still the only team to have reached the semi-finals in all World T20 tournaments.[30][31]
Governing body
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.[32]
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-i-Azam Trophy and the Faysal Bank T20 Cup.[33]
Tournament history
A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within Pakistan
ICC World Cup
| World Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | L | T | NR | |
 1975 | Round 1 | 5/8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1979 | Semi-finals | 4/8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1983 | Semi-finals | 4/8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
 1987 | Semi-finals | 3/8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
 1992 | Champions | 1/9 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1996 | Quarter-finals | 6/12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1999 | Runners-Up | 2/12 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
   2003 | Round 1 | 10/14 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
 2007 | Round 1 | 10/16 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
 2011 | Semi-finals | 3/14 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | - | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2019 | - | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2023 | - | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Total | 10/10 | 1 title | 64 | 37 | 25 | 0 | 2 | |
Twenty20 World Cup
| World Twenty20 record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | L | T | NR | |
| 2007 | Runners-Up | 2/12 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009 | Champions | 1/12 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | Semi-finals | 4/12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | Semi-finals | 3/12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2016 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Total | 4/4 | 1 title | 26 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 0 | |
Other Tournaments
| Other Major Tournaments | |
|---|---|
| ICC Champions Trophy | Asia Cup |
| Defunct Tournaments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Games | Asian Test Championship | Austral-Asia Cup |
|
|
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List of International grounds
| Stadium | City | Test matches | ODI matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaddafi Stadium | Lahore | 39 | 57 |
| National Cricket Stadium | Karachi | 41 | 46 |
| Iqbal Stadium | Faisalabad | 24 | 16 |
| Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium | Rawalpindi | 8 | 21 |
| Arbab Niaz Stadium | Peshawar | 6 | 15 |
| Multan Cricket Stadium | Multan | 5 | 7 |
| Niaz Stadium | Hyderabad | 5 | 7 |
| Jinnah Stadium (Gujranwala) | Gujranwala | 4 | 9 |
| Bagh-e-Jinnah | Lahore | 3 | 0 |
| Sheikhupura Stadium | Sheikhupura | 2 | 2 |
| Jinnah Stadium | Sialkot | 1 | 11 |
| Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium | Multan | 1 | 6 |
| Pindi Club Ground | Rawalpindi | 1 | 2 |
| Defence Housing Authority Stadium | Karachi | 1 | 0 |
| Bahawal Stadium | Bahawalpur | 1 | 0 |
| Zafar Ali Stadium | Sahiwal | 0 | 2 |
| Ayub National Stadium | Quetta | 0 | 2 |
| Sargodha Stadium | Sargodha | 0 | 1 |
| Bugti Stadium | Quetta | 0 | 1 |
| Zahoor Elahi Stadium | Gujrat | 0 | 0 |
Pakistan women's cricket team
The Pakistan women's cricket team has a much lower profile than the men's team. For all national women's cricket teams, the female players are paid much less their male counterparts and the women's teams do not receive as much popular support or recognition as the men's team. The women's teams also have a less packed schedule compared to men's teams and play fewer matches. The team played it first match during 1997, when it was on tour of New Zealand and Australia and were invited to the World Cup later that year and in the Women's Asia Cup during 2005 the team came third place. During 2007, the team with face South Africa and later in the year travel to Ireland to play in the Women's World Cup Qualifier. The team also played at the T20 England World Cup, the team finished 6th place, beating Sri Lanka and South Africa in 2009.
Team Colours
In Test matches, the team wears cricket whites, with an optional sweater or sweater-vest with a green and gold V-neck for use in cold weather. The team's official sponsor's have been Pepsi since the 1990s with their logo displayed on the right side of the chest and sleeve with the Pakistan Cricket star deployed on the left in test cricket. Boom Boom Cricket signed a deal with Pakistan Cricket Board in April 2010 to become the kit sponsors of the Pakistan team, the deal ended on the end of 2012 Asia Cup.[34]
Pakistan's One Day and Twenty 20 kits vary from year to year with the team wearing its famous green color in various shades from kit to kit. Historically, Pakistan's kits have had shades of blue, yellow and golden in addition to green.
For official ICC Tournament's 'Pakistan' is written on the front of the jersey in place of the sponsor logo, with the sponsor logo being placed on the sleeve. However for non ICC tournaments and matches the 'Pepsi' logo feature prominently on the front of the shirt. As always the Pakistan Cricket Board logo is placed on the left chest. An example of the different shades of green Pakistan wears from kit to kit can be seen in the example of the 2010–11 kit which was in the famous lime green color.[35][36] However for the World Cup a new jersey with a dark green to light green fade was introduced in February 2011.[37] [38] [39][40] CA Sports became Pakistan team's sponsor during 2012, and is currently providing kits for all three cricket formats.
Logo
Pakistan's Cricket Team's Logo is a star, usually in the color Gold or Green, with the word "Pakistan" (پاکِستان) written inside in Urdu, Pakistan's national language.
Personnel
Current squad
This is a list of all the players with their forms of cricket in which they play.
- Key
Coaching Staff
Management Staff
RecordsBattingTest Batting records
One Day International batting records
Bowling
ControversiesBall TamperingReverse swingReverse swing was first discovered by Sarfraz Nawaz in the 1970s, who then passed it on to another Pakistani bowler, Imran Khan. Khan mastered reverse swing and the evidence of reverse swing by him was seen in 1983 in a Test match against India at Karachi, where he took 5 wickets in 25 balls. Imran Khan subsequently passed this skill on to Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram who are considered to have been the finest exponents of the delivery.[42][43][44] On Pakistan's 1992 tour of England, England had no answer to the reverse swing, a new phenomenon to them. Pakistan won the series 2–1. The series was controversial one as the Pakistani team were accused of ball tampering, particularly being discriminated against by the English media. However, it was later proved that the Pakistani bowlers were simply ahead of their time. Following this episode, reverse swing expanded around the cricket world and more bowlers, including those from England, mastered the technique. 2006 incidentDuring the fourth Test against England at the Oval on 20 August 2006, ball tampering accusations were made against the Pakistani team, which resulted in the team forfeiting the match. On the fourth day of the Test, during England's second innings, the ball began to late reverse swing for Umar Gul in particular, resulting in him dismissing Alastair Cook LBW to an inswinging yorker. Four overs later, on examining the ball, umpire Darrell Hair decided there was evidence that the ball had been tampered with. He consulted with the other umpire, Billy Doctrove and penalised the Pakistani team for interfering with the condition of the ball, awarding five runs to England. Following the playing conditions for that Test, the England batsmen were allowed to choose a replacement ball from a selection of six provided. Although play continued until the end of the afternoon session, the Pakistani team decided in principle, not to reappear at the start of the third session. This decision was made in protest of what they believed to be an unjust and insensitive decision. Pakistan's claim was that the ball had been damaged by being hit to the boundary. As a result of the Pakistani team's failure to appear at the field, the umpires awarded the test to England, cricket's first and only forfeiture till July 2008 when the cricket's international governing body International Cricket Council (ICC) changed the result of the test from an English win to a draw (it was then restored to an England win in February 2009). The Pakistani team was cleared of any wrongdoing and Darrell Hair was banned when further proceedings saw captain Inzamam-ul-Haq found not guilty of ball tampering. However, the team's protest led to him being banned for four games on the charge of bringing the game of cricket into disrepute.[45][46][47] Match fixing2010 spot-fixing allegationsDuring Pakistan Tour of England in 2010 British tabloid newspaper News of the World confirmed spot-fixing had been taking place involving 3 of the Pakistani test players.[48][49] [50] DopingImmediately following the 2006 ball tampering controversy was the news that front line fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif had both tested positive for Nandrolone, a banned anabolic steroid. Though both denied any substance abuse, on 1 November 2006 both Akhtar and Asif were banned for a period of 2 years and 1-year respectively. However, both fast bowlers were successful in their appeals with the earlier bans being revoked. The World Anti-Doping Agency made an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the revoking of this ban.[51] However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport later dropped the case, ruling it had no jurisdiction to challenge the decision made by PCB.[52][53] See also
References
External links
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