Even at the start of this decade, the team functioned more like a secret society where any newcomer would struggle to breathe in a dressing room polluted by air thick with suspicion.

Not so long ago, local media would report stories about senior players holding clandestine meetings at a former captain’s residence to take an oath to betray the incumbent.

A former coach would call the players “mentally retarded” and a captain would blame poor fielding on team mates busy ogling girls in the outfield.

Of course, any players named denied the allegations.

Even for such a disjointed side, the 2010 spot-fixing scandal would mark a new low, culminating with the imprisonment of the then captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif for agreeing to bowl deliberate no-balls in the Lord’s test against England.

Less than a year-and-a-half on and Pakistan have not only survived the crisis but emerged stronger under Misbah-ul-Haq’s understated captaincy, reveling in consistency and shrugging off their notorious unpredictability.

Misbah and his men have clearly banished the nightmares of their previous meeting with England to take an unassailable 2-0 lead against the same opponent in a ‘home’ series in the UAE and are eyeing a clean sweep.

The latest success follows their series victories over New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in a highly rewarding 2011 when they won six of the 10 tests, losing just one.

“After the spot-fixing scandal the players discussed things and we unanimously agreed that we need to just do well,” Misbah recently told the Geo News channel.

“I am happy that we have been playing with lot of focus, dedication and discipline. The players have lots of faith in each other and their abilities to perform under pressure.”

Forced to host teams in the Gulf due to security concerns, Pakistan have achieved a great deal under the quiet stewardship of a 37-year-old captain who is unlike any of his predecessors.

Misbah does not warrant comparison with either Inzamam-ul-Haq or Younus Khan as a batsman, lacks Shahid Afridi’s flamboyance and is not as articulate as Butt at presentation ceremonies.

WELL-KNIT UNIT

However, shoehorned into captaincy after Butt’s ignominious exit, Misbah has achieved what most others could not.

He has won eight of the 12 tests he has been in charge of the team and is yet to lose a series as skipper.

More importantly, Pakistan finally look like a well-knit unit of honest triers who have complete faith in their phlegmatic leader and his single-minded pursuit of victory.

“It’s better to win by playing defensively, instead of losing by playing aggressively,” Misbah said before the start of the series against England.

This safety-first approach is hardly a surprise, coming from a man whose fatal scoop shot in the final of the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup allowed arch-rivals India to walk away with the trophy.

Misbah may not have secured his place among Pakistan’s great captains yet but in the first two tests against world number one ranked England, he has shown tactical acumen and flexibility to get the best out of his team mates.

In absence of Asif and Amir, Umar Gul is relishing leading an inexperienced pace attack while spin twins Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman have ruthlessly exposed the technical deficiencies of the English batsmen.

The second test in Abu Dhabi was a proof of the team’s never-say-die attitude and Misbah’s excellent captaincy.

With England chasing a meagre 145-run victory target, Misbah opened with Mohammad Hafeez’s gentle off-breaks and withdrew Gul after just three overs so that he could unleash the Ajmal-Rehman dynamic duo on the tentative batsmen.

Vindicating his decision completely, the spin trio shared all 10 wickets, shooting out England for 72 in just over 36 overs for a memorable series-clinching victory.

For their volatile fans, it was a heart-warming display of the team’s collective grit and many would believe Misbah applied some of the management lessons he learnt as a degree student in Lahore.

It is this steady progress that convinced coach Mohsin Khan that Pakistan, currently ranked fifth, can become the top test playing nation.

“I think this team has the capacity to become the world’s best team,” he said in Abu Dhabi.

“Our target should be to gradually come in the top three in both tests and one-day cricket, and then gradually go to world number one.”

Speaking to the media the petroleum secretary said that people had become hostage to the CNG sector, adding that transport fares were being charged on diesel prices while CNG was being used.

The decision to impose the surcharge was announced during the meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee for Petroleum and Natural Resources.

The SC also instructed the Lahore High Court (LHC) appointed commission to continue the probe in spurious drugs case.

The SC took suo moto notice of the deaths of more than 90 heart patients under treatment at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), either from spurious drugs or due to wrong prescription of blood thinning and lipid lowering medicines.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took notice of a note initiated by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani and issued notices to the attorney general, Punjab advocate general, federal and provincial secretaries, DG FIA and IG Punjab.

A three-member bench, headed by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, heard the case. The Punjab Advocate General apprised the court of the investigation made by the Chief Minister Punjab Inspection Team. He told the bench that a forensic laboratory is also probing the matter.

Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani asked the Advocate General if no one is held responsible why the people are being arrested.

The FIA infomed the court that all the record is under possession of CM’s Inspection Team and it is not pessible for them to proceed.

The court then ordered the FIA and CM Inspection Team to submit reports by February 06.

According to official sources, thirty two security officials were also injured during the clashes which continue in the Kurrum agency.

AFP adds: Helicopter gunships were mobilised when the fighting broke out in the same Jogi area as clashes that killed six soldiers on January 25 in the district of Kurram, part of Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt along the Afghan border.

At the time, security forces claimed to have taken control of Jogi, which is strategically located near Orakzai district.

A senior military official told AFP that “more than 300 Taliban attacked” the checkpost at around midnight in central Kurram, which is on the Taliban route into North Waziristan and onto the Afghan border.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, heard the case.

Chaudhry Aslam, a former protocol officer of Benazir Bhutto filed the petition, seeking registration of another FIR in the case.

He has pleaded the court to include the names of General Pervez Musharraf (retd), Rehman Malik, Babar Awan, Pervez Ilahi, former Interior Minster Hamid Nawaz, former DG Intelligence Bureau Ejaz Shah, former Interior Secretory Kamal Shah, Brig Javed Cheema (retd), former DCO Rawalpindi Irfan Ilahi, police offivers Saud Aziz, Yaseen Farooq and Khurram Shahzad.

The court has sought replies from all 12 respondents including Pervez Ilahi, Rehman Malik, Babar Awan and complete trial court record.

Later the hearing was adjourned for two weeks.

A doctor was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants at Malir Halt in the limits of Saudabad Police Station on Tuesday.

An official at the police station said the deceased was identified as Dr. Ashfaque, 55, son of Mushtaque. Some armed culprits opened fire on his car while he was passing railway crossing at Malir Halt. He died on the spot while the killers fled away after their swift action.

The body was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

“Syria rejects the decisions taken which are outside an Arab working plan, and considers them an attack on its national sovereignty and a flagrant interference in internal affairs,” the official was quoted as saying.

Earlier on Sunday, the Arab League asked the UN to support a new plan for resolving the crisis in Syria that sees President Bashar al-Assad transferring power to his deputy and a government of national unity within two months.

Assad should “delegate powers to the vice president to liaise with a government of national unity,” to be formed in two months, according to a statement read by Qatari premier Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani after Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo to determine the fate of their observer mission.

Australia – George Bailey (capt), David Warner (vice-capt), Travis Birt, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Hogg, David Hussey, Brett Lee, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Clint McKay, Matthew Wade.

Mansoor Ijaz refuses to come to Pakistan and asks the commission to record the statement in Zurich or London or at any place deemed appropriate by the probe commission.

American businessman Ijaz implicated President Asif Ali Zardari in a secretive memo seeking US help to curb the power of the military, allegedly fearing an army coup after Osama bin Laden was killed in May.

The Commissioner told that the complete voters’ lists cannot be prepared by February 23 as the deadline given by the Supreme Court (SC). The commission has already sent two summaries regarding the delay, Mirza said.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), political parties, civil society and media held a consultative session today to discuss key issues for ensuring credible and transparent elections in the country.

A detailed presentation was given to the participants aiming to share vital tasks to be completed before next general elections while steps were discussed that have been taken to make the electoral process more effective and ensure their transparency and credibility.

Meanwhile, the ECP and NADRA have redoubled their efforts to complete the gigantic task of publishing final voter lists as early as possible.

A total of 10,000 data entry operators are working in three shifts nowadays to complete the publication of Preliminary Electoral Rolls as soon as possible.

National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will hand over computerized voter lists containing names pictures of 80.40 million voters to ECP. As many as 30.70 million unverified votes are being deleted and the names of youngsters having Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC) are being added in the new voter lists.

The final electoral rolls are likely to be published in May.