Misbah-ul-Haq named Pakistan Test captain

Pakistan have named middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq as captain for their forthcoming Test series against South Africa in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The 36-year-old, who was not picked for the recent tour of England, will become Pakistan's fourth Test captain of 2010.

Spinner Danish Kaneria returns after being dropped during the England tour.

Shahid Afridi has been confirmed as captain for the one-day and Twenty20 internationals that precede the Tests - a day after the squad was named.

Meanwhile, former coach Intikhab Alam returns as team manager.

Yawar Saeed had resigned as Pakistan's tour manager following their controversial tour of England, which was marred by allegations of spot-fixing.

Omitted from both squads is wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who had an error-strewn tour of England.

Kamran was taken to hospital on Wednesday with abdominal problems, but could rejoin the squad at a later date if he passes a fitness test.

His place behind the stumps goes to Zulqarnain Haider, who was Kamran's deputy in England before a broken finger ended his participation in the tour.

The three Pakistan players at the centre of the claims - Test captain Salman Butt, and seamers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - remain under provisional suspension by the International Cricket Council, although none of them have been charged by police.

The trio's appeals against their ICC suspensions will be heard on 30 and 31 October.

In any event, Asif cannot play in Dubai or Abu Dhabi as he is banned from entering the United Arab Emirates after being detained for possession of opium at Dubai airport in 2008.

Seamer Wahab Riaz was the fourth Pakistan player after Butt, Asif and Amir to be questioned by British police in relation to allegations of corruption, although he was not charged and is not under ICC suspension - and is named in the Test squad.

Neither Misbah nor left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, who are in both squads to face the Proteas, toured England - and nor did paceman Mohammad Sami, who is in the Test squad.

Afridi has been Pakistan's regular one-day captain since the summer of 2009

Left-handed opener Taufeeq Umar is recalled to the Test squad, four years after his last international appearance, while left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir is named as the 16th man in the Test party, providing that he can prove he has shaken off the knee problem which has caused him to miss much of the last year.

But there is no place for ex-skipper Shoaib Malik, Shahzaib Hasan or Mohammad Irfan, who all played in Tests or one-dayers against England, in either squad.

Afridi has been Pakistan's regular captain in limited-overs cricket since the summer of 2009, although veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf skippered the side in Australia at the start of 2010.

Misbah will be the fourth man to lead them in Tests this year after Yousuf, Afridi - who relinquished the role after one game - and Butt.

The first Twenty20 international takes place on 26 October, and is an extra game added to the schedule - with the proceeds raising money for the victims of the recent floods in Pakistan.

The one-day series is followed by two Tests, also in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Before travelling to the UAE, the Proteas begin a brief limited-overs series against Zimbabwe in South Africa - which starts on 8 October.

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Pakistan Test squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Danish Kaneria, Abdur Rehman, Zulqarnain Haider (wk), Umar Gul, Tanvir Ahmed, Mohammad Sami, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir (subject to fitness).

Pakistan Twenty20 & ODI squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar, Tanvir Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider (wk).

South Africa Test squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

South Africa ODI squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

South Africa Twenty20 squad: Johan Botha (capt), Loots Bosman, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Graeme Smith, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Mohali contest great for Test cricket: Akram

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram praised the quality of cricket played during India's thrilling win against Australia in Mohali and said Test matches like these keep alive the interest of the audience in the oldest form of the game.

"Test cricket is alive and kicking. Coming at the back of the Champions League T20, the Mohali Test had more excitement than the Chennai Super Kings-Warriors final. For those who have questioned the future of Test cricket, the Mohali match has been a great advertisement for the five-day game," Akram said.

"Australia looked good to win the Test at one stage. But I must say, the ninth-wicket 81-run stand between Ishant (Sharma) and (VVS) Laxman was decisive. India's grit and the ability to fight till the last were good signs. Players like Laxman, Dravid, Sachin and Zaheer only reinforce my view that there is no substitute for experience in Test cricket," Akram told a website.

The legendary pacer also offered some word of advice to young players like Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli and said they would only improve if they continuously experience the tenacity and perseverance of the senior batsmen.

"The hunger in the senior players like Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Zaheer Khan actually make India what they are today. The Rainas and the Kohlis, the Vijays and the Ojhas will only improve if they play more and more Test matches.

I must congratulate the Indian selectors in reposing faith on able senior players. And I am sure Dhoni must be excited to have them in the dressing room," he said.

Akram also questioned the validity of the two-match series between India and Australia and said the International Cricket Council must make it mandatory to have at least a three-Test series, if not a five-match contest.

"Unfortunately, a two-Test series between the top countries in the world is not enough. I feel a two-match series is unfair on the visiting side, more so if the team is Australia, England or New Zealand. I wonder how the Aussies agreed to this itinerary.

"It takes a while to digest the playing conditions and that's what happened to the Aussies. Before they could fathom the Mohali wicket and its vagaries, India had already swung it their way," he said.

PCB in two minds over captaincy issue

The Pakistan Cricket Board appears to be caught up in another self-created problem with indications that it is finding it difficult to find someone to lead the team in the coming series against South Africa in the UAE.

The failure of the board to announce the captain for the first leg of the series that includes one-day and T20 matches despite including Shahid Afridi in the squad means it remains uncertain over the captaincy issue.

"There is some confusion over the captaincy issue because logically Afridi should have been named captain for the limited over series as he has led the team satisfactorily in the limited over matches this year," a source in the board said.

He also pointed out that the board had indicated earlier while appointing Afridi as captain that he would continue till the 2011 World Cup.

"The failure to name the captain for the ODI and T20 series means there is confusion over the captaincy issue because of several reasons one of them the expected return of Younis Khan to the Test side and secondly the possibility of Salman Butt being available for selection after his ICC hearing on October 30th and 31st in Doha," the source said.

"There has been some contact between Younis Khan and the board in recent days and now the Chairman, Ijaz Butt is contemplating bringing back Younis as captain for the South Africa series as Test captain," another source added.

He explained that Butt wanted a way out if matters didn't work out with Younis or if the former captain himself preferred to return to the team as just a player and not captain.

"The other options available for Butt is then to appoint Afridi as test and one-day captain at the same time," the source said.

He said this was also a difficult task for the board since Afridi had indicated that he was happy just leading the team in the limited over matches and didn't want to be part of the Test team even as a player.

Afridi had suddenly announced his decision to retire from Test cricket and leave the captaincy after Pakistan lost the first test to Australia in England in July.

Afridi's sudden decision led to the appointment of Salman Butt as Test captain but he is now under suspension from the International Cricket Council for his alleged role in the spot fixing scandal.

"The board is also waiting to see how the appeals hearing of the three suspended players including Aamir and Asif goes in Doha," the source said.

"The PCB has not given up on the option of Butt being cleared by the ICC and having his suspension removed after the hearing. If that happens then Butt would be available for the Tests against South Africa that would be played after the one-day and T20 series,"

2nd Test is a must-win game for us: Hussey

Down 0-1 in the series, Australia batsman Mike Hussey on Thursday said the visitors are determined to come out with flying colours in the second and final Test against India starting here on Saturday.

Incidentally, the second Test against India would be Australia's last five-day game before this year's Ashes but Hussey said their priority now is to win the next match and level the series.

"Every Test match is big. Yes, it is the last Test before

the Ashes but we are not thinking about it this stage. We are 0-1 down in the series and we have to win this match and level the series," Hussey told reporters on Thursday.

"That is the focus at this moment...To play good,

disciplined Test cricket for long periods of time. If we play with the same intensity that we did in Mohali, we have a good

chance of leveling the series," he added.

The left-handed batsman, however, is a disappointed man to have lost the Mohali Test from a winning position.

"It was a Test match which we could have won. We had our chances, but we could not do the job and get over the line.

After the match, the dressing room was very quiet," Hussey said.

"From a positive point of view, we did a lot of things right. We are playing against the number one team in the world

with a relatively young team. We will try to maintain that consistency here," he said.

Asked why is India such a tough opponent on home soil, Hussey said, "They know how to handle pressure and how to handle every situation. They have done it many many times before.

"Their bowlers, Harbhajan (Singh) and Zaheer Khan have played a lot of Test cricket and have a got lot of experience. They know the conditions well and how to use it to their benefit," he said.

It was one of my best innings: Laxman

After single-handedly guiding India to a one-wicket victory over Australia in the nail-biting first cricket Test on Tuesday, V V S Laxman termed his unbeaten 73 as one of the best knocks of his career.

"It is definitely one of my best knocks. I have always enjoyed batting in such situations and I feel disappointed if I do not perform in such situations. I was able to deliver," he said after helping India take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

"Whatever knock you play, if it helps the team in winning it feels really satisfying," he added.

Laxman gave credit to the tailenders Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha for supporting him in completing a memorable win.

"It was a great effort from Ishant at the other end because with an injured leg he played and showed his character. He displayed great temperament. The partnership with Ishant was very important," said Laxman.

"All our tailenders take a lot of pride in their batting and they work really hard on their batting," he said.

Asked about how he reserved his best for the Australians, Laxman said, "You always feel good when you play well against Australia. Each session, the fortunes were fluctuating."

He said his back injury is getting better but still stiff.

"Hopefully, it should be OK (before the second Test in Bangalore)," he told a television channel.

Ponting seeks revival after Mohali loss

Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Wednesday urged his young team to overcome the first Test loss to India, saying such defeats always hurt badly.

India won by one wicket in a dramatic finish in Mohali on Tuesday despite being reduced to 124-8 while chasing 216 for victory, to take the lead in the two-match series.

Venkatsai Laxman defied back spasms to fashion India's win with an unbeaten 73 after tailender Ishant Sharma struck a defiant 31 during a match-winning stand of 81 for the ninth wicket.

The loss meant Ponting's men must win the second and final Test starting in Bangalore on Saturday to draw the series.

Ponting said he hoped the tourists, who take on England in the Ashes series at home from next month, will not be unduly affected by the traumatic defeat.

"I think it's important that we don't dwell on the negative side of not winning the game," Ponting said as his team prepared to fly to Bangalore.

"I think it's important we look at the positives that we have created and achieved out of this four-and-a-half days.

"There have been a lot from a pretty inexperienced group of players."

Australia have ended on the losing side in a number of close finishes in recent years, but Ponting admitted Tuesday's loss hurt like never before.

"This is a tough loss for us, it's no good hiding from it," he said. "This hurts all of us, I'm sure it's hurt a lot of people at home as well.

"They all hurt when you lose, especially when you've been in positions to win.

"This one probably hurts more because I'm the captain. Eight down with 80 to get, it was a game we should've won."

Ponting admitted he was unsure how the players will respond in Bangalore where the tourists will seek a series-levelling win.

"You don't know how they're going to take it until you see them in a similar situation next time," he said.

"You don't know if it's going to be a good experience having been there once, or if it's a thing they might not overcome next time.

"We won't know until we get those younger guys in that situation."

Australia, currently fourth in the Test rankings behind leaders India, South Africa and Sri Lanka, will slip to fifth if they lose the series 2-0.

The Australian selectors on Wednesday rested Ponting, batsman Shane Watson and fast bowler Mitchell Johnson for the three one-dayers against India that follow the Tests to keep them fresh for the Ashes.

India, meanwhile, will be without opening batsman Gautam Gambhir and fast bowler Ishant Sharma for Bangalore due to knee injuries suffered in Mohali.

It was also unclear if Laxman would be fit to play despite undergoing extensive treatment for back spasms.

India's selectors have added uncapped batsman Abhinav Mukund and left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat to the 15-man squad, but neither is likely to take the field.

Opener Murali Vijay is expected to replace Gambhir, while fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth is likely to take over from Sharma.

If Laxman does not play, he will be replaced by rookie batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.