Pakistan captain and coach to be announced soon

The appointment of the new Pakistan captain and coach will be announced soon, Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, told a parliamentary committee in Islamabad on Monday. Ashraf had been summoned to the National Assembly to explain Pakistan's poor results.

The replacements for Bob Woolmer and Inzamam-ul-Haq will be discussed on Tuesday when the board's ad-hoc committee meets in Lahore to discuss the future appointments.

Inzamam was also called to the National Assembly to discuss the World Cup. Inzamam says he was "hurt" by the match-fixing allegations that arose after his team's early exit from the World Cup. He said Pakistan had played badly, but added that defeats were part of cricket.

"I told them of the hurt I have felt since these match-fixing allegations were made," Inzamam told Reuters. "I told them not to expect the younger players to perform under such pressure. But coming up with such allegations, which basically questions our patriotism, is not on and not good for our cricket."

Ashraf was also grilled on the decision to appoint Mushtaq Ahmed as assistant coach for the World Cup. Mushtaq was fined and named in the match-fixing inquiry in Pakistan between 1998 and 2000. Ashraf explained that Bob Woolmer and Inzamam had recommended Mushtaq. In turn, Inzamam said that he would not have made the recommendation had he been aware of the Justice Qayyum inquiry report which said Mushtaq should not be appointed to any senior position.

Looking to the future, Ashraf explained the board would set up a special commission of former Test players that would aim to improve Pakistan cricket and make it more consistent. The team's balance will also be re-examined.

Inzamam told Geo Super, a local sports channel, that he backed Younis Khan as the next captain and that a swift decision was necessary in the matter. "A delay will be harmful. I am surprised that the same people who were in my time pushing Younis Khan to replace me as captain are now discussing other names," he said. Inzamam said he was clear in his mind that Younis was the automatic choice to replace him as captain.