Cricket: Pakistan, a history

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Of the six players to score a double century and take a catch in a match (till Oct 2015), three are Pakistani ; Graphic courtesy:

Pakistan's top run-getters in tests; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, October 14, 2015

Cricket: Pakistan, a history

This is the beginning of a page of the history of Pakistani cricket, which has had its world-beating moments. Readers are invited to send additional information as messages to the Facebook community, Indpaedia.com. All information used will be acknowledged in their name.

The authors of this article are …

AFP | May 13, 2015, 04.56 PM IST

1992: peak

See World Cup (cricket): 1992

2009

No Test-playing team has toured Pakistan since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009, leaving eight people dead and seven visiting players injured.

2015

Bangladesh tour

Pakistan slumped to ninth in the ICC one-day international table -- their lowest since rankings were introduced in 2002 -- after losing the ODI series to minnows Bangladesh 3-0, threatening their participation in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England where only top eight teams will feature.

The tourists also suffered their first ever Twenty20 defeat against Bangladesh.

Although they managed to win the two-Test series 1-0 with victory in the second Test in May, and Pakistan can also take heart by the way their bowlers -- especially pacemen Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan and Yasir Shah dismantled Bangladesh's batting in the final Test, the national pastime of inquisition and blame game began.

Isolation results in decline

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan labelled the first-class system as "completely flawed" and fitness of the players as "worst in the world."

The absence of any international cricket on Pakistan soil since a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009 has also been detrimental.

PCB officials say countries refuse even to send 'A' teams because of security fears. Such tours are normally arranged on a reciprocal basis meaning no Pakistan 'A' team has played outside the nation's adopted 'home' grounds in the United Arab Emirates for five years.

Fast bowler Wahab Riaz and batsman Umar Akmal rose to senior level after the last Pakistan 'A' tour to Australia in 2009 and Inzamam said until fringe players tour abroad they cannot make the step up to Test and ODI level.

Zimbabwe breaks isolation

In 2015 Zimbabwe became the first international team to tour Pakistan after the 2009 attack.

Till almost the last day it was not clear if Zimbabwe would actually be able to come. However, Zimbabwe stuck to its commitment. Zimbabwe also went ahead with the third and final one day international against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium despite security concerns after a suicide bomber blew himself up close to the stadium during the second ODI, a day and a half before the third ODI. Police tried to pass it off as a transformer blast. However, Federal Minister for Information Pervez Rasheed said it was an alleged foiled suicide bomb attack.