Shoaib Malik likely to be named captain

Shoaib Malik has emerged as the leading candidate for the Pakistan captaincy after discussions between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials over the weekend. An official announcement on the decision is expected in the next two to three days.
The appointment, if Malik agrees, is likely to be till September, when the situation will be reviewed again ahead of a hectic international season that includes a full series in India and a home series against Australia.
The discussions centred on Malik and Salman Butt but it was narrowed down to the former as Butt currently does not hold down a place in either the Test or ODI sides. "In principle, a decision has been taken to offer it to Malik. There isn't really another suitable candidate around," one official told Cricinfo.
"We have a few assignments in the pipeline over the summer. There may be a series against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi and a match in England so we are talking about Malik for that. We will review the situation in September, ahead of the home season," he added.
Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, refused to confirm or deny that Malik would be offered the captaincy but said that a decision was imminent. "No decision has been taken yet," Ashraf told Cricinfo. "We will make the decision in the next two to three days."
Whoever does become the captain, Ashraf added, would take charge of both the Test and ODI sides and is likely to be appointed, initially, on a series-by-series basis. "We will have one captain for both. I think in Pakistan cricket, it is advisable to have one leader in charge of both sides.
"Initially the appointment will be on a series-by-series basis. But eventually, before the India tour later this year, we will make a longer-term appointment," he added.
Though Malik has only played 18 Tests, in a number of different positions in the order, he has been earmarked for leadership by a number of people over the last two years, including Bob Woolmer. He has, however, become a vital cog in Pakistan's ODI outfit and has been among the most consistent batsmen for Pakistan in that form of the game since 2004.
There is a concern that senior players might not so readily accept a younger player as captain but at least Mohammad Yousuf, who said recently he was willing to become captain if it was offered, has sought to play down those fears. "If the PCB wants to appoint a junior player as the future captain, I absolutely have no issue with it", he told reporters on Monday.
"I have never been greedy. I want to serve my country, whether as captain or as an ordinary player, that's enough honour for me."
Younis Khan was originally in place to take over as captain after Inzamam-ul-Haq's resignation and retirement from ODIs, but he turned down the offer citing the mental strain of taking on one of cricket's toughest jobs

PCB appoints selection committee

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a new, three-man professional selection committee to be headed by Salahuddin Mulla Ahmed, a veteran selector. The other members of the committee are Shafqat Rana, also a previous member, and former Test left-arm fast bowler Saleem Jaffar.
Ahmed has been on the selection committee no less than 13 times before this latest tenure, on various occasions between 1979 and 1999 and has also headed the committee before. Rana has been on three previous committees in 1983-84, 1984-85 and 1994-95.
Jaffar, who is currently coach of the Sind team in the Pentangular Cup 2007, told Cricinfo that having seen the players from Sind region, he has a fair idea of how much talent lies in the province.
"It is a huge responsibility and requires an awful lot of sincerity and devotion. I've seen whole domestic season this year and have been involved with the players directly. And with that experience, I will try and bring out the talent I have witnessed over the past few months," he said.
Additionally, a new selection policy has also been finalised by the board. For any home series, the selection committee will choose the final playing XI after consultation with the captain. For away tours, the committee will select the squad after consultation with the captain, while the final playing XI will be decided by a tour selection committee which includes the manager, coach, captain and vice-captain.
The decision to enhance the influence of selectors in practice is thought to be the result of the experiences of the last selection committee, headed by Wasim Bari, which resigned after the World Cup. Bari and his team were widely perceived to have little or no influence with captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and as their relationship worsened, the captain's hold over selectorial matters was said to be total.
The board experimented with the idea of sending a selector on tour with the team to have a greater say in team matters but that idea appears to have been dropped under the new policy.
The committee will be responsible for selecting the national team as well as the 'A' teams. A separate panel to look after junior teams is expected to be announced within the next few days as well.
A new captain for both Test and ODI sides is also set to be announced this week, while Pakistan are also looking at hiring a new coach.

Not worthy of captaincy, thinking to retire from one-day: Younus

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket vice captain, Younus Khan, discarding the offer of captaincy, has expressed his intention to take the retirement from the one-day cricket also after a month or two.

Younus Khan said that his performance in the World Cup was not worthy of his taking over the captaincy. Besides, he has informed the PCB that he was mulling over taking retirement for one-day cricket after one/two months. He said that the test cricket was the real cricket.

Younus Khan told that the PCB offering him captaincy with full authority had said that the new and stable selection committee would also be constituted. However, he said that he has refused to accept this offer, but he was thankful to the PCB for considering him for this coveted position, he added. He said that the way the team failing in the World Cup was welcomed on its return hurt him most.