Pakistan summon coach, captain over Australia rout

An evaluation committee issued a demand on Sunday for Pakistan cricket coach Intikhab Alam and captain Mohammad Yousuf to explain the team's dismal performance on their tour of Australia.

Pakistan lost all their matches on the tour -- the Tests by 3-0 and one-day matches by 5-0 before going down in the only Twenty20 match on Friday.

The results have prompted an investigation by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The six-man committee is headed by former captain Wasim Bari, who is the PCB's chief operating officer, and includes another former captain, Wasim Akram, in place of Haroon Rasheed, who was originally named as a member.

The others on the board are PCB governing Board member Wazir Ali Khoja, PCB director Zakir Khan, former team manager Yawar Saeed and PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi.

Bari said the committee will start its work this coming Friday.

"We are starting our evaluation work from Friday and on the first day coach Alam and manager Raqeeb have been invited and the following day our captain Yousuf will appear," Bari told AFP.

Pakistan have a history of probing their defeats, having also initiated inquiries over the team's first round exit from the 50-over World Cups in the West Indies three years ago and in South Africa in 2003.

Earlier Pakistan coach Alam took full responsibility for the team's dismal show, and vowed not to run away from any investigation.

"I will not run away and will face an investigation," said Alam after the team returned home on Sunday. "I am not going to comment on any resignation but I take full responsibility for the defeat."

Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf, who returned to Pakistan on Wednesday, vowed to continue as skipper despite a hint from the PCB that there will be a change of captaincy.

Bari said the terms of references of the committee included match performance, player discipline and any other issue relating to the tour of Australia.

The committee will also probe all-rounder Shahid Afridi's ball-tampering case in the fifth and final one-day in Perth last Sunday.

Afridi, leading Pakistan in the match in place of rested Yousuf, was caught biting the ball on two separate occasions. He was banned for two Twenty20 matches.