Karachi: Inzamam-ul Haq has backed Shoaib Malik saying the Pakistan board was right in extending his term for another year.

“I think the board took the correct decision by naming Malik as captain till end of 2008 and they need to support him,” Inzamam said after Pakistan lost the five-match one-day series against India with one game to spare.

The Pakistan board earlier this week extended Malik’s term as Test and ODI captain until 2008, but Inzamam was not sure they will continue with the young captain if Pakistan lost the Test series in India.

“I know that our people can’t stand defeat specially against India, and if we lose the Test series than these board officials might try to save their positions by making Malik the sacrificial lamb,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by a Pakistani daily.

“Malik is clearly under pressure after losing the one-day series to India. But the Indians have played very well and they have not allowed Pakistan into the game except for Mohali,” he added.

Malik, however, has come under scathing attack from other former players, including Javed Miandad, who has demanded his removal.

The former players blamed Malik’s “unilateral decisions” for the series loss, and called for more powers for the selectors to decide on the final combination.

“He is doing what he wants to do. The selection committee has given him a squad but he has not bothered to play the youngsters at all. The selectors gave him four specialist openers and yet he has opted to open with makeshift openers like Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi and now himself,” said Miandad, a former captain and three-time national coach.

The former batting great said the cricket board needed to make a senior player the captain.

“Unless a player is assured of his place in the team with his performances how can he lead the team with confidence! Younis Khan and Mohammed Yousuf have been performing consistently and in my book one of them should be given the responsibility of the captaincy,” he said.

Former captain Rashid Latif said he was surprised by Malik’s decision and the constant shuffling in the batting order.

“But even apart from this one decision Malik has not looked the part of a confident leader. His body language is bad.

“This has a bad effect on the other players. I can’t understand some of their decisions. They took four openers to India and yet didn’t try out Yasir Hameed and Imran Nazir?

“I also don’t understand why they couldn’t play Fawad Alam in place of Abdur Rehman as he is a better batsman and sharp fielder.”