Plays of the day from the fourth day of the Sydney Test between Australia and Pakistan

Kamran Akmal has received solid backing from his captain, despite spilling three chances as Pakistan pushed for a rare Test win against Australia in the second Test at Sydney

Danish Kaneria had a good day but it could have been better

Pakistan are close, very close, to something very big. But in Australia you are never over the line until you are over the line

Waqar Younis, Pakistan's bowling coach, said it was a treat to watch his side's pacemen Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Asif bowl on the first day of the Sydney Test.

The century stand Imran Farhat and Salman Butt put on this morning was their second in three Tests

In each and every spell of Mohammad Asif's there remains a threat, a leg-before appeal, a play and a miss, an edge. He carries the sense every ball that something very clever he has been working on is just about to, or has almost come off

Five years, from his debut at the same ground, had seen him a changed bowler, said Mohammad Asif after picking up a career-best on the first day at Sydney

For a good hour on a gloomy, memorable day, Mohammad Sami suddenly was again what he promised long, long ago: Pakistan fast bowling's next big thing

Pakistan have suffered a major blow on the eve of the second Test with Mohammad Aamer having been ruled out with a groin injury

Mohammad Yousuf has called on Pakistan to give more respect to the achievements of Danish Kaneria

For a team that has just lost an opening Test to Australia by a not too inconsiderable margin, Sydney finds Pakistan in surprisingly robust spirits

Mohammad Yousuf believes hiring a specialist fielding coach for Pakistan will not make much of a difference to the side's continued problems in the area

Pakistan are confident they can bounce back to level the series against Australia in Sydney in the New Year's Test, due to begin on January 3

Mohammad Yousuf has issued a stark warning to Pakistan cricket of the impending dangers of too much Twenty20 cricket

No further decision was taken on the Pakistan team management's request to call up the former captain to bolster the batting

Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan captain, has admitted Mitchell Johnson's first over "killed" his team's chances of pulling off a successful chase

The side is not inexperienced, just the development of many has been stunted from a lack of Tests

At least 12 players from Pakistan have applied to the IPL requesting to be placed in next season's auction

Mohammad Aamer doesn't seem to lack much, not smarts, not pace and, after his maiden five-wicket haul at the MCG, certainly not confidence.