Islamabad, Dec. 22: Pakistan cricket coach Intikhab Alam has backed Shoaib Malik as captain of the squad and suggested that he should continue as captain of the side.

Alam said that under the captaincy of Malik the team has shown enough improvement and Malik himself has matured enough.

"He should continue as the captain of the team and has improved tremendously as a captain over the years. With the experience he has gained over the years, he is now a much improved captain," The News quoted Alam, as saying.

He predicted with a bit of more experience Malik could prove as one of the best captains, Pakistan has ever produced.

Karachi, Dec. 22 : Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has said that his team is chalking out a special strategy to deal with Sri Lanka's sensational spinner Ajantha Mendis in the upcoming series.

Showing concerns about Sri Lanka's spin department, Malik said that Sri Lanka possess two quality spinners but for them the matter of concern was Mendis as Pakistan players have played Muralitharan earlier several times.

"Sri Lanka have two quality spinners in Muttiah Muralitharan and Mendis, but we have played Murali a number of times and now need to master Mendis, who has been doing very well," The News quoted Malik, as saying.

Malik singled out sensational Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis as his team''s main challenge.

Sydney, Dec 21: Former Australian fast-bowling great Glenn McGrath has described as "premature" the suggestion that pace spearhead Brett Lee is on the way out.

McGrath hailed the arrival of left-armer Mitchell Johnson as great news, saying he was disappointed Australia's new pace ace missed out on a nine-wicket haul in the first innings of the Test underway in Perth.

Lee has been heavily scrutinised since Australia's ill-fated tour of India and the findings haven't painted a bright picture, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

A good batting performance from the top order batsman and a well-made 113 by former skipper Amol Muzumdar helped Mumbai to took a huge 234 run lead over Punjab on the second day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Division Group ‘A’ match.  

Replying to 202 runs scored by Punjab in their first innings, Mumbai declared their first innings at 436 for nine.

Mazumdar scored his 24th first class century in his 142nd match. At the end of the play, Punjab made 18 for no loss.

Sydney, Dec 20 : Australian opener Matthew Hayden's future is likely to be decided at the end of the summer after coach Tim Nielsen conceded his struggles atop the order were putting pressure on other teammates.

Nielsen hinted on Friday that Hayden had made a private decision about his future but the coach also admitted that circumstances were conspiring against the star opener, The Age reported.

The veteran left-hander appeared indecisive in his stroke making and troubled by the pace and swing of Dale Steyn.

Karachi, Dec. 20: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief selector Abdul Qadir has said that he will welcome banned players like Mohammad Yousuf and Mohammad Asif for selection in the national squad if they are cleared for the same by the PCB.

Qadir expressed that he will personally welcome Yousuf and Asif with open arms once they are cleared for selection procedures by the board.

"It is a fact that the cream of our cricket has defected to the Indian Cricket League (ICL). It includes some of our gems like Yousuf and I will happily welcome them back once the PCB clears them," he said.