Karachi, Oct 31 : England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have formally invited Pakistan to play a test series in 2010 and negotiations will be held soon, a senior official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Thursday.

Saleem Altaf, Director General of the board, said they had received a formal proposal from the ECB to play three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 match on the bilateral tour.

“We will be holding negotiations soon with the ECB to sort out financial arrangements but obviously we are very keen to go ahead with the series,” Altaf said.

Lahore, Oct 31 : With the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) set to review Shoaib Malik’s performance as the national team captain at the end of this year, flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi has expressed his desire to lead the side if given a chance.

He made it clear that if given a chance to captain Pakistan, he would not turn down the offer, the Daily Times reported.

However, he admitted that at present he was under tremendous pressure to retain his place in the side due to a slump in his batting form.

Lahore, Oct 31 : Shahryar Mohammad Khan, the former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, has cautioned the ICC against overturning the result of the controversial England-Pakistan Test at The Oval in 2006, now a draw, back to a forfeit.

“The ICC will only make fun of itself and it will leave them in a very awkward position,” Shahryar told media on Thursday.

The PCB is currently awaiting the ICC’s reaction to the MCC’s recommendation that the result of the Oval Test be reversed and awarded to England, the Daily Times reported.

Islamabad, Oct 31: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif’s transfer of assets from Saudia Arabia to other foreign countries, instead of Pakistan, has been challenged in the Islamabad High Court.

In a petition filed by Barrister Javed Iqbal Jaffrey, Dr Shamshad Akhtar’s appointment as the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan has also been challenged.

Former president Pervez Musharraf and the State Bank governor have been made respondents in the case apart from 10 government officials.

Lahore, Oct 31: A petition filed in Pakistan’s Supreme Court has asked the court to cancel the land allotted to former president Pervez Musharraf at Chak Shahzad.

The petition filed on Thursday by Jamil Akhtar stated that the land could only be used to grow vegetables and poultry but Musharraf’s farmhouse had a swimming pool and a jogging track, among other facilities.