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Former Pakistan captains Imran Khan and Javed Miandad have slammed Younis Khan over his refusal to take on Pakistan’s captaincy in the wake of a disastrous World Cup campaign.Younis was offered the captaincy after Inzamam resigned but he rejected the offer citing stress related to the job as his main reason.”I don’t understand it. If he didn’t want to be captain he should not accepted the vice-captaincy for the last two years. His refusal has led to a crisis,” said Imran.”It is useless trying to convince Younis to lead the team if he does not want to do it. But what he did was wrong,” he added.Miandad expressed disbelief at Younis’ actions after being offered the captaincy.”This episode is a reflection on the sort of discipline prevailing in our cricket set-up,” said Miandad. “It is disappointing for me that someone should turn down the honour of being asked to captain his country. It is not a good sign for Pakistan cricket,” he explained.Amid stories that Shoaib Malik is likely to be offered the position, Imran wished him well.”He appears to have a good cricket brain and could turn out to be a very good choice for Pakistan cricket,” he added.The official announcement from the PCB over this matter is expected this week.

Geoff Griffin, the former South African pace bowler, has died in Durban aged 67.Although he played two Tests and was the first South African to take a hat-trick in a Test, Griffin will best be remembered as the man who was no-balled out of international cricket at Lord’s in 1960.A tall, blond, quick bowler who topped the national averages during the 1959-60 domestic season with 35 wickets at 12.23, his action had been the subject of debate from the moment the South Africans landed. In his defence, he had suffered an accident as a schoolboy which meant he couldn’t straighten his arm, but he was playing at a time that there was considerable debate over suspect actions, mainly of Australian fast bowlers.No-balled in warm-up matches, he underwent remedial work at Alf Gover’s famous indoor school before returning to action, but a number of people were not satisfied.At Lord’s he took a hat-trick, the first by a South African, but that was completely overshadowed by him being repeatedly no-balled. His career was almost finished when, in an exhibition match played as the Test ended early, he was again called for throwing. Attempting to finish an over by bowling underarm, he was then rather cruelly called for not informing the umpire of a change of action. “We didn’t take the warning seriously,” he was to recall many years later. “It sounded so preposterous to use an exhibition match to do the dirty on me. He remained on the tour playing as a specialist batsman.”A good-natured and popular player, he was widely praised for the way he took this massive setback. Griffin was contacted by a lawyer who offered to take the matter to court, free of charge. “You’ll win hands down and end up a wealthy young man,” he said. But he declined. “I loved cricket too much to sully the great game further.”Many felt that the relatively unknown Griffin had been singled out by the authorities, who were desperate to send a message to the world that chuckers would not be tolerated. The fear was that a major row would erupt if Australia brought their batch of suspect bowlers in 1961, and so Griffin was used to show that umpires were prepared, if necessary, to act. If so, it worked. Australia omitted all their fast bowlers whose actions had caused such rancour in 1958-59.”I was the victim of a thoroughly distasteful ‘chucking’ conspiracy,” Griffin said earlier this year. “I was the fall guy. I attribute the blame to the SA cricket authorities and the MCC who should never have allowed things to develop as they did.”He returned home and moved from Natal to Rhodesia, but within two years – and still only 23 years old – his career was over after he was repeatedly no-balled against North-Eastern Transvaal at Salisbury.A superb allround sportsman, Griffin played hockey for Rhodesia as well as holding Natal titles for high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault. He also played Under-19 rugby for Natal.

Corey Collymore, the West Indies fast bowler, has joined his captain Brian Lara and others in calling for faster pitches in the Caribbean. Collymore lamented the docile nature of the surface at Warner Park Stadium where the third Test was played and likened it to that of the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia, the venue of the second Test.He pointed out that there must be more encouragement for young fast bowlers such as the Barbadian pair of Fidel Edwards and Tino Best and Jamaican Jermaine Lawson, all of whom bowl in excess of 90 miles an hour. “It is not an easy surface to bowl on,” the 28-year-old Collymore said. “There is not much difference to this wicket than the last wicket we played on (in St Lucia). I think it is something that we need to look at around the Caribbean if you have young fast bowlers.”You have Fidel who has just been injured, you have Tino, Jermaine Lawson and these guys, and if you need fast bowlers in the West Indies team, you need proper wickets to bowl on.”Edwards sustained a hamstring injury in the first Test and is unlikely to play for the rest of the series, while Best and Lawson are yet to make an appearance despite a strong call from Lara after the second Test for at least one of them to be included.This was Collymore’s first Test series after he was sidelined because of knee surgery during the 2005 tour to Australia, where he bowled impressively. “It has been going okay. I think my pace is still a bit down and it’s something I need to work on and get myself strong again, but so far I have been enjoying my cricket and enjoying myself.”There were fairly decent crowds on the first, third and fourth days but the turnout was quite disappointing compared to the virtual sell-out on May 23 when the first ever one-day international was played here, also featuring India.”Quite honestly, probably the crowd could be a bit disappointing but for me personally, it is not a matter,” Collymore said. “Crowd support is good obviously but for me personally, the crowd is not a problem. I am here to play cricket and cricket plays in the middle and not in the stands.”

A quickfire half-century from Albie Morkel led the Nashua Titans to victory by four wickets off the last ball of their Standard Bank Pro20 match against the Gestetner Diamond Eagles at SuperSport Park on Sunday.A target of 170 looked to be out of the Titans’ reach as they bumbled to 108 for 5 after 15 overs, but that was before Morkel bashed the second-fastest half-century in Pro20 history, off 23 balls, to steer them home against the defending champions in another thrilling match.Morkel’s tremendous firepower brought him two fours and five sixes as he blazed 56 off just 28 balls to leave the Eagles stunned and beaten. The Eagles looked to be in control when they removed the Titans top-order by the 14th over, with their slower bowlers serving them especially well after Francois du Plessis had punished the new ball to the tune of 33 runs off just 19 balls.But the introduction of Nicky Boje and Thandi Tshabalala changed the course of the innings, Tshabalala producing two wonderful pieces of flight and dip to remove Gulam Bodi for a run-a-ball 23 and Gerald Dros for 14, the ball after he had been hit for six.But once the spinners left the scene, Tshabalala taking two for 27 in four overs, Morkel bared his teeth. Victor Mpitsang bowled his first over for just three runs, but then Morkel ripped him to shreds as he took 20 off the 17th over.More heroics followed in the 18th over from Johan van der Wath, in which another 20 runs were scored, leaving 15 required off the last two overs.Morkel’s superhuman effort ended with two runs needed off three balls when he holed out at long-on off Van der Wath, but Farhaan Behardien, who scored a gritty, valuable 23 not out off 18 balls, had spanked the first ball of the over through the covers for four and, with the scores tied, a wayward over ended with a wide.The Eagles, who had won the toss and chosen to bat, were given a rapid start by opener Jacques Rudolph, who top-scored with 61 off 44 balls, slamming six fours and three sixes.Morne van Wyk (27) once again shared a fine opening stand with Rudolph – 69 off 53 balls – but the Eagles then threw away wickets with something approaching gay abandon.Boeta Dippenaar (14), trying to run a single to alert wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn, and Ryan McLaren (10) were both run out, while Ryan Bailey (12) and Van der Wath (18) both made starts before holing out off poor deliveries.The Titans kept their composure well in the field and Brendon Reddy (4-0-23-1) and Dale Steyn (4-0-26-1) deserved their fine figures as they bowled the last four overs of the innings for just 21 runs.

Twenty-two years ago when the last great player exodus occurred Australia began five years of despair. Not until the 1989 Ashes could Australia prove they had left behind the suffering that followed the retirements of Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh, who left a 253-Test gap when they exited the SCG on January 6, 1984.Two months later in Guyana Greg Ritchie’s bulky frame slotted into the top order, Wayne Phillips was mistakenly turned into a makeshift wicketkeeper and Terry Alderman tried to fill Lillee’s space. By the fifth Test Queensland’s John Maguire had replaced Alderman and Australia were on the way to using 24 players in 46 matches until the 1989 tour, when stability and success was finally found. It took a further eight years and 77 games to introduce the same number of new personnel and by then Australia were world champions.The Test crown has retained the same shine ever since and Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne were two of its most significant polishers. Justin Langer also had a large part in the success and the trio leaves from the same gate as the previous triumvirate. Australia now enter another period of uncertainty, but the prospects of the trough being as deep as last time are remote.Allan Border was a reluctant successor to Kim Hughes, who resigned in tears against West Indies in 1984, and he won only three of his first 25 Tests in charge. The low points were home-and-away series losses to New Zealand in 1985-86 and giving up the Ashes a season later to an England team dubbed the worst ever to tour. The recovery was slow, painful and, ultimately, massively rewarding.Ricky Ponting does not have instant replacements for the big three, but he is fortunate to have a string of contenders who are capable of plugging holes. Australia’s ranking as world No. 1 may be in jeopardy over the next couple of years but the superpower status will remain. The planning through the Academy should stop a repeat of the 1980s horror.

In the past two years the focus of the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane has altered from developing emerging players for the first-class arena to preparing contenders for international action. A core group of bowlers including Ben Hilfenhaus, the Tasmania swing bowler, and Brett Dorey, the tall Western Australia fast man, was compiled as the Australian selectors prepared for life without McGrath. Shaun Tait also spent time in the set-up and with Mitchell Johnson’s re-emergence and the rapid development of Stuart Clark a batch of next-generation bowlers is on call.The opening spot created by Langer’s decision can be filled confidently by either Phil Jaques, who stepped into the Test side twice in 2006, or Chris Rogers, who has learned under Langer at Western Australia. A return to the top of the order for Michael Hussey, another batsman raised in Perth, should not be ruled out as it is his preferred position.While the batting and fast-bowling back-up is solid, the spin ranks are Australia’s major worry. In 15 years of trying no Australian has been able to emulate Warne – only Stuart MacGill has got close – and Daniel Cullen, Cullen Bailey, Beau Casson and Nathan Hauritz have the toughest assignments of all.Cullen and MacGill are the frontrunners to step in for Warne but Australia’s expectations of what a slow man should achieve must quickly be lowered. The 1980s showed that attempting to fill the shoes of legends takes decades rather than days.

Mohammad Azharuddin’s life ban could be on the verge of being overturned despite widespread concern at the message this would send out.Azharuddin was banned from the game for life by the Indian board (BCCI) in 2000 after a federal inquiry found him guilty of match-fixing. He denied the charges and is awaiting judgement on a suit filed by him in a court in his home city of Hyderabad challenging the ban.It is believed that the new BCCI leadership is convinced Azharuddin has served enough punishment and deserves to be pardoned. An indication of his possible return to favour came when it was revealed he had been invited to a function in Mumbai on November 4 to honour him and other Indian captains for their services to the game.The ICC, which has adopted a strict zero-tolerance policy towards anyone found guilty of match-fixing, is far from happy with the news and is thought be be considering boycotting the event if Azharuddin attends.In a statement unlikely to make him many friends in Dubai, Ratnakar Shetty, the board’s chief administrative officer, said that Azharuddin “had undergone enough punishment and he should be allowed to lead his life like cricketers who had faced similar charge in other countries but are going about as if they had done no wrong.”He then said that there was a feeling among the current board that while the punishment handed out might have been correct, it “was a knee-jerk reaction”. He continued: “In retrospect, they feel the board had been too harsh on its players considering the way the other boards went about protecting the guilty.”The Indian board are understood to be riled that other players who were implicated in the scandal continue to play, but Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, warned that “we need to be careful when we compare cases with cases … it was alleged and proved that Azharuddin was actively involved in match-fixing.”But that cut no ice with Shetty. “Azhar should not be compared with those who got away with murder, people who continued to play after serving a token punishment. One is being persecuted and condemned for life while others strut about as paragons of virtues.”The ICC are taking this seriously. Yesterday, it issued a statement detailing the process for a banned player to be reinstated. But at 43, Azharuddin is not likely to make a comeback and so his rehabilitation into the cricket world does not actually need any official approval.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Shahzad’s 131* became the highest score for an Afghanistan batsman in ODIs•Chris Whiteoak

Afghanistan’s batting can be a bit like a teenager. Impulsive and reckless, with a tendency to play to the gallery when they should play the situation. But 2015 has witnessed their coming of age and they signed the year off with a victory that was built on a level-headed chase and their ability to withstand pressure when it came. Afghanistan ran down 254 with 14 balls in the bank and a top-order batsman out in the middle as Mohammad Shahzad recorded the highest score for his team in ODIs – 131 not out off 133 balls.Afghanistan will savour going 2-0 up, but they suffered a bit of stage fright as they came near the target. The Sharjah fans had begun thinking of an early finish and a lengthy party. Zimbabwe had been pushed to the limit and nothing had worked. Elton Chigumbura, who had bowled only twice since March 2015, was forced to bring himself on. It was a last throw of the dice.Four balls in, Mohammad Nabi was run out. First ball of Chigumbura’s third over took out Asghar Stanikzai and the last ball of his fourth over trumped Samiullah Shenwari. Afghanistan had cobbled together only 30 runs in nine overs until the 40th, and they went into the final 10 without the big-hitting Najibullah Zadran, yet another Chigumbura victim.A scoreline that read 169 for 1 became 198 for 6, but Shahzad was still there and he proved the difference. He has mirrored Afghanistan’s growth as a batting unit. The brain freezes of the past gave way to an innings of poise and control. His power was hidden away until he was well set enough to minimise the risk in those heaves over the leg side. He trundled through the Powerplay and emerged from the first 10 overs with only three fours. He reached his fifty with a six, but was still accumulating at less than a run a ball. The problem for Zimbabwe was that he had been out there for 19 overs – ample time to understand a slow and low Sharjah pitch and assess the opposition’s biggest threats.Shahzad got into the nineties having taken 41 runs off his last 39 balls. He finished with seven fours and eight sixes, the most by a batsman from an Associate nation in ODIs. The path to his hundred was painstaking – he spent almost six overs getting the final six runs and burst into a memorable celebration full of fist pumping and bat waving.Zimbabwe’s bowlers had done well to keep him quiet in that time, but they needed to take him out and the good work they themselves had done with the bat went in vain. They had to tackle the same pitch on which they made the lowest total by a Full Member against an Associate nation in ODI history. There were two marked differences from the record-breaking events of Christmas Day, though.Zimbabwe were chasing when Afghanistan’s spinners bundled them out for 82. Today, Chigumbura called correctly at the toss and helped his team avoid scoreboard pressure and the complication of batting under lights. And given the best conditions to bat in, Zimbabwe’s 11th opening pair in 31 ODIs made a promising start.In Peter Moor and Richmond Mutumbami’s care, only two of the first 10 overs did not feature a boundary. They took the score to 71 for 0 with sound planning and skillful execution. Moor for example, harvested half of his runs through and over mid-off, including two of his three sixes, to secure his maiden ODI fifty at a strike rate of 100.But the ball began to age after 15 overs and it was stopping on the batsman off a good length. Afghanistan picked up on that and trusted the experienced Nabi to turn things around. He did so with a beautifully crafted trap that turned the batsman’s strength against him. Moor had been eager to drive all day, so Nabi tossed the ball up wider, Moor lunged forward and his back leg left the safety of his crease, Nabi beat the outside edge, Shahzad completed the stumping.Five balls later, debutant left-arm spinner Rokhan Barakzai had Mutumbami caught and bowled and Afghanistan had effectively reset the match. Zimbabwe were up for it thanks to Ervine’s resourcefulness and helpful cameo from the returning Hamilton Masakadza.They were able to keep up the pace simply by using the pace offered to them. Ervine was so prolific at it that he found 39 of his 73 runs behind the wicket. And as an added bonus, his use of sweeps and reverse sweeps kept the pressure on the Afghanistan spinners. Masakadza was also quick to understand that his power game has a lesser chance of success of a slow, low Sharjah pitch. So he found 29 of his 47 runs through singles, and in doing so ensured Ervine took a lot of the strike. Their third-wicket partnership put 98 risk-free runs, barring one occasion when Williams could have been stumped on 43, and gave Zimbabwe’s lower order the freedom to play without worrying about wickets falling. In the end, they were still 20 runs short.