Pakistan national cricket team
Pakistan cricket crest
Test status granted 1952First Test match v India India at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi in India, 16–18 October 1952.
Captain: Misbah-ul-Haq
Coach Mohsin Khan
Official ICC Test, ODI and T20I ranking 5th (Test)
4th (ODI)
7th (T20) [2]
Test matches
– This year 367
3
Last Test match England England at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai , 03–07 February 2012.
Wins/losses
– This year 115/100
3/0
As of 06 February 2012)
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.
Pakistan have played 765 ODIs, winning 412, losing 331, tying 6 and with 16 ending in no-result.[1] 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, with the 1996 final being hosted at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The team has also played 51 Twenty20 Internationals, the most of any team, winning 32, losing 18 and tying 1.[2] Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and came runners-up in the inaugural tournament in 2007.
Pakistan have played 367 Test matches, with winning 115, losing 100 and drawing 152. The team has the 3rd-best win/loss ratio in Test cricket of 1.15, and the 5th-best overall win percentage of 31.33%.[3] 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.[4] Previously, Pakistani cricketers had competed as a part of the Indian national team before the partition of India.
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 country 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,[5] 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[6]).
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.
1986 Australasia Cup
Main article: Australasia CupThe 1986 Australasia 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.[7] 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.[7]
1992 Cricket World Cup
Main article: 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.[9][10][11]
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.[12]
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.[13][14][15] 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."[16] Assistant coach Mushtaq Ahmed acted as temporary coach for the team's final group game of the tournament.[17] 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.[18] Shoaib Malik was announced as his successor.[19] Following his return to the squad, Salman Butt was appointed as vice-captain until December 2007.[20]
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.[21] 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."[22] 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."[23] 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.[24] 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.
On 20 April 2007, a PCB official announced that former Test cricketer Talat Ali would act as interim coach, in addition to his role as team manager, until a new coach had been appointed.[25] 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 role.[26] 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.
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 30 March, Pakistan had a match with its fiercest rival, India. 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). Pakistan has never defeated India in an ODI World Cup match to date.
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.[27]
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 Twenty-20 Cup.[28]
[edit] 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
1998–99: Champions
2001–02: Runners Up
1998: First Round
List of International grounds
See also: List of cricket grounds in Pakistan
Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
National Cricket Stadium in Karachi.
Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan.
Stadium City Test matches ODI matches
Gaddafi Stadium Lahore 39 57
National Cricket Stadium Karachi 41 46
Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad 24 16Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi 8 21
Arbab Niaz Stadium Peshawar 6 15
Multan Cricket Stadium Multan 5 7
Niaz Stadium Hyderabad 5 7
Jinnah Stadium (Sialkot) Sialkot 4 9
Bagh-e-Jinnah (Lahore) Lahore 3 0
Sheikhupura Stadium Sheikhupura 2 2
Jinnah Stadium Gujranwala 1 11
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
Main article: Pakistan national 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. Boom Boom Cricket signed a deal with Pakistan Cricket Board in April 2010 and are the current manufactures of their test and One Day clothing.[29]
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. 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 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.[30][31] However for the World Cup a new jersey with a dark green to light green fade was introduced in February 2011.[32] Minor changes were made to the kit after the World Cup, 'Pakistan' across the shirt was replaced with the 'Pepsi' logo, whilst the World Cup logo was replaced by the 'Boom Boom' logo.[33][34]
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 who have played for Pakistan since 1 February 2011 and the forms in which they have participated. The Pakistan announced its most recent central contracts on 8 August 2011. They are graded A, B, C, according to pay and also included a list of players who received a one-off stipend. Opening batsman Sharjeel Khan has a grade C contract but has not represented Pakistan at international level.[35]
Key
Domestic team – First-class team the player represents in the current or preceding season. If n/a, then Limited overs team is displayed.
C/G – The contract grade awarded by the PCB.
S/N – Shirt Number.
A/B/C Central Contract
S Stipend Contract
N/A No Contract
General
♠ – Player was captain of the Test team in the past year.
* – Player was captain of the ODI team in the past year.
♦ – Player was captain of the T20I team in the past year.
1 - Player is also an All-rounder
Name Age Batting style Bowling style Domestic team C/G Forms of cricket S/N
Opening batsmen
Imran Farhat 29 Left-hand bat Right arm leg spin HBL B ODI, T20I 17
Taufeeq Umar 30 Left-hand bat Right arm off spin HBL B Test, ODI 7
Mohammad Hafeez1 31 Right-hand bat Right arm off spin HBL A Test, ODI, T20I 8
Ahmed Shehzad 20 Right-hand bat Right arm leg spin HBL N/A ODI, T20I 19
Middle-order batsmen
Misbah Ul-Haq * 37 Right-hand bat Right arm leg spin KRL A Test, ODI, T20I 22
Younis Khan 34 Right-hand bat Right arm leg spin, Right arm medium Surrey A Test, ODI 75
Umar Akmal 21 Right-hand bat Right arm off spin SNGPL B Test, ODI, T20I 96
Rameez Raja 25 Right-hand bat Right arm off spin Karachi Dolphins C T20I 19
Asad Shafiq 25 Right-hand bat Right arm leg spin Karachi Blues B Test, ODI, T20I 81
Azhar Ali 27 Right-hand bat Right arm leg spin KRL B Test, ODI 79
Awais Zia 25 Right-hand bat Right arm off spin N/A T20I
Wicket-keepers
Kamran Akmal 30 Right-hand bat – NBP N/A ODI 23
Sarfraz Ahmed 24 Right-hand bat – PIA C ODI 54
Adnan Akmal 26 Right-hand bat – ZTBL C Test, ODI 97
All-Rounders
Shahid Afridi 31 Right-hand bat Right arm leg spin HBL N/A ODI, T20I 10
Hammad Azam 20 Right-hand bat Right arm medium NBP C ODI 73
Abdul Razzaq 32 Right-hand bat Right arm fast-medium Hampshire B ODI 12
Shoaib Malik 30 Right-hand bat Right arm off spin PIA N/A ODI, T20I 51
Fast Bowlers
Umar Gul 27 Right-hand bat Right arm fast Sussex A Test, ODI, T20I 55
Tanvir Ahmed 33 Right-hand bat Right arm fast-medium C Test, ODI
Aizaz Cheema 32 Right-hand bat Right arm medium-fast S Test, ODI, T20I 74
Wahab Riaz 26 Right-hand bat Left arm fast-medium NBP B Test, ODI, T20I 47
Sohail Tanvir 27 Left-hand bat Left arm medium-fast KRL B ODI, T20I 33
Junaid Khan 22 Right-hand bat Left arm medium-fast Lancashire C Test, ODI, T20I 83
Spin Bowlers
Saeed Ajmal 34 Right-hand bat Right arm off spin KRL A Test, ODI, T20I 50
Abdur Rehman 31 Left-hand bat Left-arm orthodox HBL A Test, ODI, T20I 36
Yasir Shah 25 Right-hand bat Right arm leg spin KP C ODI, T20I
Coaching Staff
Coach: Mohsin Khan[36]
Team Manager: Intikhab Alam
Batting Coach & Fielding Coach: Ijaz Ahmed/imzaman
Records
Batting
Test Batting Records
Name Intl. Career span Year set Record description Record Notes
Imtiaz Ahmed 1952–62 1955 4th highest test match innings by a wicketkeeper 209
Hanif Mohammad 1952–69 1958
8th highest Test match innings
Slowest Test triple century
Highest Test innings on foreign soil
4th highest Test innings by an opener
337 runs
970min
Hanif scored 337 runs against the West Indies in 1958, which was also the first triple century by an Asian cricketer, and at the time the longest innings by any batsman in terms of time spent at the wicket.
Majid Khan 1964–83 1976–77 Joint 7th fastest Test match century 74 balls
Zaheer Abbas 1969–85 1971 5th highest Test match maiden century 274
Mudassar Nazar 1976–89 1977–78 Slowest Test century 557 min
Javed Miandad 1976–96 1976
Youngest player to score a double century.
Only teenager to score a double century.
19y 140d
Career
12th most Test runs.
8,832 Miandad's record is also the most Test runs by a Pakistani.
Taslim Arif 1980 1980 3rd highest Test match innings by a wicketkeeper 210*
Shoaib Mohammad 1983–95 1990–91 9th Slowest Test match double century 411 balls
Inzamam-ul-Haq 1991–2007 Career 10th most fifties in Test cricket 71
Career 10th most fours in Test cricket 1112
Career Joint 4th most sixes in an innings 9
Mohammad Yousuf 1998–2010 2006 Most Test match runs in a calendar year 1,788
2006 Most Test centuries in a calendar year 9
2006 Most centuries in successive Tests 6 centuries/5 tests
Shahid Afridi 1998–2010 1999 7th youngest player to score a test century 18y 333d
2004–05 Joint 2nd fastest Test fifty 26 balls
2006 2nd most runs off one over 27
2006 Joint most sixes off consecutive deliveries 4
2010 9th highest strike rate in an innings 206.66
Younis Khan 2000–10 2009 5th highest individual innings by a captain 313 Younis scored 313 against Sri Lanka in 2009, becoming the third Pakistani to reach a triple century, and also attaining the third highest Test Innings by a Pakistani.
T20 International Records Name Intl. Career span Year set Record description Record Notes
Kamran Akmal 2006–10 Career 7th most runs in career 704
2010 2nd highest innings by a wicketkeeper 73
Shahid Afridi 2006–10 Career 8th most runs in career 650
2010 3rd highest innings strike rate 357.14
2006 5th highest innings strike rate 280.00
2007 7th highest innings strike rate 260.00
Umar Akmal 2009–10 2010 4th most runs in a calendar year 385
One Day International Batting Records
Name Intl. Career span Year set Record description Record Notes
Saeed Anwar 1989–2003 1997 Joint 3rd highest ODI innings. 194
Zaheer Abbas 1969–85 Career 6th highest batting average in ODI 47.62
Inzamam-Ul-Haq 1991–2007 Career 4th highest career ODI runs 11,739
Shahid Afridi 1996–present 1996 Fastest ODI century 37 balls Afridi scored his maiden century in his maiden innings in 1996, against Sri Lanka at Kenya. He was originally in the team as a bowling replacement for Mushtaq Ahmed, and walked out as a pinch-hitter up the order wielding Waqar Younis' bat.
Career Most Sixes in ODI 294 Sixes
Bowling
Test Bowling Records Name Intl. Career span Year set Record description Record Notes
Wasim Akram 1984–2003 Career 9th most Test wickets 414
Akram also holds the record of most Test wickets by a Pakistani bowler.
Waqar Younis 1989–2003 Career Best strike rate with +200 Test wickets 43.4
Career 14th highest Test wickets 373 Waqar also holds the record of second most Test wickets by a Pakistani bowler.
One Day International Bowling Records Name Intl. Career span Year set Record description Record Notes
Wasim Akram 1984–2003 Career 2nd most ODI wickets 502 Akram's record was surpassed by Muttiah Muralitharan. Akram still holds the record of most ODI wickets by a Pakistani bowler.
Career One of three bowlers to take 2 ODI hat-tricks The other bowlers were Saqlain Mustaq and Chaminda Vaas
Waqar Younis 1989–2003 Career 3rd most ODI wickets 416 Waqar also holds the record of second most ODI wickets by a Pakistani bowler.
Saqlain Mushtaq 1995–2004 Career Fastest to reach 100, 150, 200 and 250 wickets
Career Only spinner to take a hat-trick in an ODI
Shahid Afridi 1996 – present Career most wickets in single world cup as Captain 21 Shahid Afridi also holds the record.
T20 International Records Name Intl. Career span Year set Record description Record Notes
Umar Gul 2007–10 2009 2nd best bowling figures in a Twenty20 International 5 wickets / 6 runs This was surpassed by Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka) against Australia
Career 2nd most wickets in career 47
2009 Joint 3rd most wickets in a calendar year 19
Career Most 4 wicket hauls in career 4
Shahid Afridi 2006–10 Career Most wickets in career 48
2009 7th most wickets in a calendar year 18
Career Joint 2nd most 4 wicket hauls 2
Saeed Ajmal 2009–10 Career 3rd most wickets in career 38
2009 and 2010 Joint 3rd most wickets in a calendar year 19
Career Joint 2nd most 4 wicket hauls in career 2
Mohammed Asif 2008-2011 Career First T20 Maiden 1
Miscellaneous Records Name Intl. Career span Year set Record description Record Notes
Wasim Akram 1984–2003 Career One of 2 bowlers to achieve a hat-trick in both Test and ODI
Career Only bowler to achieve four hat-tricks
Career 1st bowler to achieve +400 wickets in both Test and ODI Muttiah Muralitharan has since achieved this.
Shoaib Akhtar 1997–2011 Career Official fastest delivery in cricket
161.3 km/h
100.2 mph
Mohammad Sami 2001–present Career Unofficial fastest delivery in cricket
164 km/h
101.9 mph
The record was revoked by cricket officials after they found faulty speed measurements on the speed radar.
Career One of 2 bowlers to achieve a hat-trick in both Test and ODI
Controversies
Ball Tampering
Reverse swing
Main article: Reverse Swing
Reverse 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.[37][38][39]
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 Incident
During 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
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