Malek named Pakistan skipper

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named allrounder Shoaib Malek as captain of the national team following the resignation of Inzamam-ul-Haq in the wake of the side's early World Cup exit.

The 25-year-old, who has played in 18 Tests and 137 one-day internationals, was handed the role until the end of the year for the Test and one-day squads.

His first assignment is expected to be a three-match one-day series against Sri Lanka next month.

"Malek has been appointed captain with the future of Pakistan cricket in mind," PCB chairman Dr Nasim Asraf told reporters yesterday.

The board overlooked senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf for the post, which was also offered to and turned down by Younis Khan earlier this month.

Younis, who had acted as Inzamam's deputy since 2005, cited personal reasons and stress for his decision.

Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup after losing their first two games against the West Indies and Ireland. The day after the second defeat, coach Bob Woolmer was found murdered in Jamaica.

Bouncing back

Malek said yesterday: "Our team has the capability of bouncing back from the early World Cup exit and we just need to get our confidence back that was dented after what happened in the last few weeks."

He added: "We have to work extra hard on our fielding to reduce the gap with other teams. We must be back to our best when we play South Africa and India later this year."

A new selection committee, headed by former Test player Salahuddin Ahmad, has already been named by the board as part of its rebuilding process.