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Pakistan’s cricket authorities Wednesday dropped a bombshell by imposing life bans on former captains Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf and taking stern action against five other national cricketers on charges ranging from misconduct to ball tampering.

Those punished included former captain Shoaib Malik, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers – Kamran and Umar – the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced.

“Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan were banned keeping in view their infighting which resulted in bringing down the reputation of the whole team. Their attitude has a trickledown effect, which badly affects the whole team, and they should not be part of the national team in any format,” said a PCB statement.

Acting on the recommendations of its inquiry committee, the board also slapped a one-year ban, as well as fines of Rs.2 million each, on former captain Malik and Rana for misconduct during the tour of Australia, where the duo were reported for non-cooperation with the team management.

Afridi was fined Rs.3 million for ball-tampering.

“For the shameful act of Shahid Khan Afridi, which has brought the game and country into disrepute, he is being fined Rs. three million. A warning is being issued to him by the PCB Chairman and he will be put on probation for six months, during which his conduct will be strictly monitored,” said the PCB statement.

The Akmal brothers were also heavily fined for indiscipline during the tour of Australia where Pakistan lost all the matches.

“Kamran Akmal is being fined Rs. three million. A warning is being issued to him by the Chairman PCB and he be put on probation for 06 months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored.

“Umar Akmal is being fined Rs. two million. A warning will be issued to him by the Chairman PCB and he is being put on probation for six months, during which his conduct would be strictly monitored,” the statement said.

The PCB inquiry committee comprised Wasim Bari as chairman and Wazir Ali Khoja, Yawar Saeed, Zakir Khan and Taffazul Haider Rizvi as members.

The statement said the probe panel conducted detailed interactive sessions with the persons appearing before it and confronted the officials and the players of the Pakistan cricket team with reports submitted to it and other material available on print, internet and electronic media. The transcripts and team management reports form an integral part of the committee’s report.

“Recommendations of the inquiry committee have been accepted by PCB in totality,” said the statement.

“The recommendations of the committee will go a long way in arresting the continuing decline of Pakistan cricket and improve the state of cricket in Pakistan. It is a landmark exercise which is an outcome of the hard work of the committee members,” it said.

Final scoreboard of the second cricket Test between India and South Africa that concluded on the fifth day at the Eden Gardens here Thursday.

South Africa first innings: 296

India first innings: 643/6 declared

South Africa second innings (115/3 overnight)

Graeme Smith lbw b Mishra 20

Alviro Petersen c Badrinath b Harbhajan 21

Hashim Amla not out 127

Jacques Kallis c Dhoni b Mishra 20

Ashwell Prince c Sharma b Harbhajan 23

A.B. de Villiers lbw b Mishra 3

JP Duminy lbw b Harbhajan Singh 6

Dale Steyn lbw b Harbhajan Singh 1

Wayne Parnell c Harbhajan Singh b Sharma 22

Paul Harris c sub (Karthik) b Sharma 4

Morne Morkel lbw b Harbhajan Singh 12

Extras: (b-6, lb-5, w-1, nb-18) 30

Total: (for all out in 131.3 overs) 289

Fall of wickets: 1-36 (Smith, 12.1 overs), 2-54 (Petersen, 17.2), 3-111 (Kallis, 33.2), 4-158 (Prince, 61.4), 5-164 (de Villiers, 68.1), 6-172 (Duminy, 73.6), 7-180 (Steyn, 77.6), 8-250 (Parnell, 102.2), 9-264 (Harris, 110.5), 10-289 (Morkel, 131.3)

Bowling:

Zaheer Khan 6 0 32 0

Harbhajan Singh 48.3 23 59 5

Ishant Sharma 25 5 84 2

Amit Mishra 40 12 78 3

Virender Sehwag 10 2 20 0

Sachin Tendulkar 2 1 5 0

Result: India won by an innings and 58 runs

Toss: South Africa, who chose to bat

Umpires: Steve Davis (Australia) and Ian Gould (England)

TV umpire: Shavir Tarapore (India)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe)

Scoreboard at tea on the fifth day of the second cricket Test between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens here Thursday.

South Africa first innings: 296

India first innings: 643/6 decl.

South Africa second innings (115/3 overnight)

Graeme Smith lbw b Mishra 20

Alviro Petersen c Badrinath b Harbhajan 21

Hashim Amla batting 106

Jacques Kallis c Dhoni b Mishra 20

Ashwell Prince c Sharma b Harbhajan 23

A.B. de Villiers lbw b Mishra 3

JP Duminy lbw b Harbhajan Singh 6

Dale Steyn lbw b Harbhajan Singh 1

Wayne Parnell batting 22

Extras: (b 6, lb 5, w 1, nb 16) 28

Total: (for seven wickets in 99 overs) 250

Fall of wickets: 1-36 (Smith, 12.1 overs), 2-54 (Petersen, 17.2), 3-111 (Kallis, 33.2), 4-158 (Prince, 61.4), 5-164 (de Villiers, 68.1), 6-172 (Duminy, 73.6), 7-180 (Steyn, 77.6)

Bowling:

Zaheer Khan 6 0 32 0

Harbhajan Singh 35 15 48 4

Ishant Sharma 19 2 70 0

Amit Mishra 30 7 70 3

Virender Sehwag 9 2 19 0

Umpires: Steve Davis (Australia) and Ian Gould (England)

TV umpire: Shavir Tarapore (India)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe)

Play on the fourth day of the second cricket Test between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens here Wednesday was called off due to bad light.

South Africa were 115 for three, trailing by 232 runs, with Hashim Amla (49) and Ashwell Prince (0) at the crease.

Only 157 minutes of play was possible during the day because of several interruptions because of rain and bad light.

Only one over was bowled in the post-tea session that began 3.20 p.m. after a delay of 35 minutes due to continuous drizzle. Soon the umpires’ light meters were out and they found the light insufficient to continue playing.

Scoreboard at tea on the fourth day of the second cricket Test between India and South Africa here Wednesday.

South Africa first innings: 296

India first innings: 643/6 decl.

South Africa second innings (6/0 overnight)

Graeme Smith lbw b Mishra 20

Alviro Petersen c Badrinath b Harbhajan 21

Hashim Amla batting 45

Jacques Kallis c Dhoni b Mishra 20

Ashwell Prince batting 0

Extras (nb-5) 5

Total (for three wickets in 34 overs) 111

Fall of wickets: 1-36 (Smith, 12.1 overs), 2-54 (Petersen, 17.2), 3-111 (Kallis, 33.2)

Bowling:

Zaheer Khan 6-0-32-0,

Harbhajan Singh 12-3-27-1,

Ishant Sharma 8-1-36-0

Amit Mishra 7-3-15-2

Virender Sehwag 1-0-1-0.

Umpires: Steve Davis (Australia) and Ian Gould (England)

TV umpire: Shavir Tarapore (India)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe)

South Africa were 39 for one in their second innings against India at lunch on the fourth day of the second cricket Test here Wednesday.

Alviro Petersen (17) and Hashim Amla (2) were at the crease after Graeme Smith (20) was dismissed by Amit Mishra.

South Africa trail by 308 runs.

India declared their first innings at 643 for six, in reply to South Africa’s 296, after the tea break on the third day of the second cricket Test at the Eden Gardens here Tuesday.

V.V.S. Laxman was unbeaten on 143 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 132. India now lead by 347 runs.

V.V.S. Laxman and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni were on the brink of centuries as India piled up a huge total to take a 254-run first innings lead and dictate terms at tea on day three of the second cricket Test against South Africa here Tuesday.

At the break, Laxman was on 97 (269 mins, 184 b, 12×4), reaping the fruits of a dropped catch by Jean Paul Duminy off Wayne Parnell at backward point at 48.

Playing in his trademark aggressive style, Dhoni was batting on 85 (189 mins, 137 b, 10×4, 1×6) as India reached a mammoth 548 for 6 in reply to the visitors’ first innings total of 296. The seventh wicket partnership is already worth 164.

Laxman is also five short of completing 1,000 runs at his favourite ground Eden Gardens, where he has already cracked three hundreds. Between lunch and tea, the Indian duo completely dominated the South African bowling as they let loose a flurry of scintillating shots.

After being cautious in the opening session, the stylish Hyderabadi opened up in the post-lunch period to play a top class knock with a spree of wristy strokes giving much cheers to the crowd.

If Laxman was top art, Dhoni was intimidating for the bowlers, who were already reeling under the onslaught from the earlier batsmen.

As the Indian lead kept going up, South African bowlers seemed more and more to be going through the motions. The 100 of the pair was posted in 125 minutes, while Laxman brought up the 500 of the Indian inning with a couple off Duminy in the 17th over after lunch.

In the morning, Laxman played a watchful knock as India fought through a fine spell from Dale Steyn to consolidate their position and reach 431 for six, benefiting from sloppy catching by the South Africans, who spilled three chances.

Night watchman Amit Mishra (28) survived two chances before becoming the only batsman to fall in the pre-lunch session that saw the Indians score 89 runs after resuming at 342 for five.

Playing under overcast conditions, Mishra and Laxman added 48 for the sixth wicket as Steyn bowled his heart out sticking to a good off stump line, beating both batsmen on several occasions.

Spinner Paul Harris, who began proceedings from the other end, almost got Mishra in his first over but Jacques Kallis dropped the edged cut at slip.

The new ball was taken after the 84th over, the ninth of the innings, and shortly thereafter Mishra got another reprieve when rival captain Graeme Smith failed to latch on to an overhead catch off Kallis. Smith’s left little finger injury seemed to have played a part in the faux pas as he only stretched his right hand to reach for the ball.

Mishra (38 b, 56 mins, 5×4) departed a little later as he attempted an upper cut off Morne Morkel and finished in the hands of Kallis at second slip.

Laxman was quiet at the other end, and took 38 balls to move from 21 to 22.

Dhoni, however, looked his customary aggressive self, as he posted the team’s 400 in the 98th over with a pull through mid-wicket off Kallis.

The butter-fingered South African fielders also gave a life to the Indian skipper, with Kallis failing to reach an outside edge. Harris was again the unlucky bowler.

India were 431 for six in the first innings, in reply to South Africa’s 296, at lunch on the third day of the second cricket Test at the Eden Gardens here Tuesday.

At the break, V.V.S. Laxman was batting on 39 and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 27.

Opener Virender Sehwag cracked a strokeful unbeaten half century as India reached a promising 97 for two at lunch on the second day of the second cricket Test against South Africa here Monday.

Sehwag (52) and Sachin Tendulkar (9) were in the middle as India were now 199 runs adrift of the South African first innings total of 296 at the sparsely-populated Eden Gardens.

Gautam Gambhir (25) was needlessly run out following a Sehwag faux pas, while Murali Vijay (7) was lapped up behind the wicket when he poked a Morne Morkel delivery just outside the off stump.

Sehwag completed his 22nd Test 50 but was lucky to survive when Duminy dropped a dolly at first slip, off Morkel.

Gambhir and Sehwag gave the Indian essay a flying start, as they came up with some fluent shots to bring up the 50 in only 37 minutes.

Sehwag picked up India’s first Test nemesis Dale Steyn for special treatment hitting three consecutive boundaries in his second over, courtesy a drive past backward point, a short arm pull through square leg and another upper cut past point as 15 came from the over.

Steyn got some of the deliveries to rise steeply, but at times wavered on the length.

But there was no stopping Sehwag, who launched a savage assault on Morkel with three fours in the bowler’s third over, as India scored at seven per over to race to 49 in seven overs.

Wayne Parnell was introduced as the first change, but Sehwag welcomed him with a upper cut six over thirdman before another boundary via the cover point region.

But the partnership was broken at 73, as the solid-looking Gambhir returned to the pavilion. The Delhi batsman edged Parnell to the square leg area, and Sehwag called him for a second run before suddenly deciding otherwise to leave Gambhir stranded in the middle.

The South African pacers softened up Vijay with a series of short pitched stuff before his 18-minute stay came to an end. Morkel bowled full-length and Vijay went for a defensive probe only to manage an edge to stand-in-skipper A.B. de Villiers.

Earlier, resuming at 266 for nine, the South African last pair of Parnell (12) and Morkel (11 not out) added 30 more runs in 18 minutes, thanks to some loose bowling by the Indian bowlers.

Zaheer finally brought the innings to an end by getting Parnell leg before to finish with figures of four for 94.