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    LAHORE, Pakistan -- Shoaib Malik has been named as captain of Pakistan in succession to Inzumam-ul-Haq, who stepped down after their disastrous World Cup. The 25-year-old all-rounder was unveiled at a press conference in Lahore, and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf said: "He is a unanimous choice. He is the best man to lead the team." Malik will lead the test and one-day sides until at least the end of 2007 and Ashraf declared: "Malik has been appointed as captain with the future of Pakistan cricket in mind." Meanwhile, Pakistan's cricket authorities have turned to New Zealander John Wright as a possible replacement for coach Bob Woolmer, who died during the World Cup. Sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told Reuters that some discussions had been held with Wright, 52, to find out if he would be interested in coaching the national side. "Wright's response was good. The board is also looking at another foreigner, Tim Boon, coach of Leicestershire, as a possible candidate," one source said on Thursday. Woolmer, the former England player, was coach from 2004 until March 18 this year when he was pronounced dead in hospital in Jamaica a day after Pakistan lost to debutants Ireland and were eliminated from the World Cup in the first round. His death is being treated by Jamaican police as murder. "The reason the board has delayed naming a new coach is because it is still looking at several candidates some of them foreigners," the source said. He said Wright, who was coach of the Indian team from 2000 to 2005, was a strong candidate followed by Boon who was video analyst with the England team during their 2005 Ashes win over Australia. Former Pakistan test pacer, Aaqib Javed, is the strongest local candidate for the post although the source said there was resistance to his appointment. Relatively inexperiencedThe appointment of the relatively inexperienced Malik came after senior batsman and former vice-captain Younis Khan refused to assume the leadership role for personal reasons. PCB sources said they opted for the right-handed batsman and useful offspinner over more established names like master batsman Mohammad Yousuf because they wanted a fresh start for the team. Malik is likely to face pressure to deliver and command a team which has several captaincy hopefuls including Yousuf, flamboyant pacer Shoaib Akhtar and mercurial all-rounder Shahid Afridi. Pakistan, the World Cup winners in 1992, were knocked out of the current tournament in the Caribbean after losing to minnows Ireland on March 17 in one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history. Malik, from the industrial town of Sialkot near the Indian border, has played 18 Tests and 137 one-day internationals with a batting average of 37.64 since making his debut against Bangladesh in 2001. His bowling action has been reported twice, once in 2005 and then again in 2006, forcing him to undergo elbow surgery. The only other blight on his career so far was when Pakistan cricket chiefs banned him for one Test in 2005 for throwing a domestic game in protest, after his team was penalized for a slow over rate in another match. Malik later apologized. |
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Malik will lead the test and one-day sides until at least the end of this year.
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