Pakistan missing Malik for finale
BANGALORE, India (AP) — Younis Khan will again stand in as Pakistan’s captain for the third and final Test match against India after skipper Shoaib Malik was ruled unfit on Thursday.
Malik’s ankle injury, suffered when he was playing football with his team-mates after the opening defeat in New Delhi, forced him out of the drawn match in Calcutta which ended earlier this week.
Younis saved the tourists from an early series loss with an unbeaten century on the last day.
Malik was ruled out of action for five more days after an orthopedic doctor removed the cast and evaluated his recovery.
His ankle is being put in a cast again, Pakistan team spokesman Ehsan Malik said. Shoaib has been advised complete rest for another five days.
India go into the final Test in Bangalore, which starts on Saturday, with a 1-0 lead after winning the opening match by six wickets.
India have called up pace bowlers Irfan Pathan and Vikram Rajvir Singh after left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel were ruled out due to injuries.
Meanwhile, umpires in English county cricket will no longer consult players before taking teams off the field because of bad weather or poor conditions.
From next season, umpires will not offer the light to batsmen or invite captains to contest decisions on the pitch or weather being unsuitable.
Instead, the officials will decide such issues unilaterally.
It ensures that umpires alone consider all matters relating to ground, weather and light and base a decision on whether play should take place on whether there is obvious and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player or umpire, the England and Wales Cricket Board said Thursday.
The ECB also said that counties would be docked championship points if field conditions at their ground reduce the possibility of play taking place.
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