Imran Butt

Imran Butt led the way for Pakistan with a dogged 71 not out but it was slow going on the second morning of the first Test against Zimbabwe on Friday as the batsmen added just 59 runs in 32 overs.

Opener Imran Butt missed a maiden Test hundred by just nine runs but Pakistan ground their way towards a big lead over Zimbabwe on the second day of the first Test in Harare on Friday.

New Zealand duo of Dean Couzins and Andrew Hayward will replace Muhammad Rizwan Sr and Muhammad Rizwan Jr in the Delhi Waveriders squad.

The Pakistan selectors on Sunday retained six uncapped players in the pruned 17-man squad, named for the first Test against South Africa.

Melbourne Stars pacer Haris Rauf will miss the Melbourne Derby clash against Renegades after being selected in the Pakistan Test squad for the first time.

Veteran Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt has accepted that India have an edge going into the mouth-watering clash between the arch-rivals in the Commonwealth Games on Saturday.

Abid Ali and Azhar Ali shared an unbeaten 60-run partnership as Pakistan recovered from the early loss of Imran Butt on the first day of the second Test against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on Friday.

Pakistan's sacked hockey coach Hanif Khan is seething after being made the scapegoat for the national team's poor performance in the recent World Hockey League.

On paper, Punjab were one of the strongest teams along with Delhi Waveriders before the start of the Hockey India League.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation has appointed Muhammad Imran as the captain for next month's Champions Trophy that will be held in Melbourne, Australia.

Mumbai Police assured full security during the upcoming IPL-style Hockey India League matches in wake of Shiv Sena's protest against participation of Pakistani players.

The simmering tension on the Indo-Pak border spilled over to the sporting arena with a rattled Hockey India deciding to send back all the nine Pakistani players.

Players from Pakistan are unlikely to figure in Mumbai Magicians' first Hockey India League home game against Jaypee Punjab Warriors at the MHA Mahindra Stadium on January 20.

Shiv Sena workers staged a protest on Sunday at Mumbai Hockey Association's stadium here against the participation of four Pakistani players in a scheduled practise session.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam and opener Imam-ul-Haq were on Monday ruled out of the upcoming first Test against New Zealand with thumb injuries, prompting the tour selection committee to include rookie Imran Butt in the 17-member squad.

Faizal Saari scored twice as hosts Malaysia rallied to stun defending champions Pakistan 4-2 in the opening match of the fourth Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in the Kuantan Hockey Stadium, on Thursday.

With just four days to go for the Hockey India League to begin, a question mark has cropped up over the participation of the Pakistan players in the league.

Fawad Alam and Imran Butt are among 10 top- performing cricketers, who have been awarded the newly-introduced 'A' plus agreement as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced contracts for 192 domestic players for the upcoming season.

The Indian High Commission has issued visas to nine Pakistani hockey players, clearing the decks for their participation in the Hockey India League.

The Mumbai franchise of the HIL, which was abandoned by the Dabur group, has now been taken up by DoIT Sports Management.