Angry Younis Khan quits as Pakistan captain

[Reddy]

An annoyed Younis Khan on Tuesday quit captaincy of the Pakistan cricket team after being grilled by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, which wanted him to explain the team's performance in the recent Champions Trophy.

The standing committee had asked Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt, Younis, coach Intikhab Alam and manager Yawar Saeed to explain their defeat against Australia and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy and the Pakistan captain was upset at the grilling.

It was not immediately known whether the Pakistan Cricket Board has accepted his resignation or were persuading him to re-consider his decision.

Television reports said that PCB has rejected his resignation.

The hostile parliamentarians raised a number of questions on the team's performance in those two matches in the backdrop of allegations that the cricketers tanked those games.

Younis got so annoyed with the allegations that he tendered his resignation, something he had warned earlier.

Other officials, however, were more restrained in their response and tried to convince the parliamentarians that the players could not be blamed for those defeats since it's all part of the game.

They said it it was just not Pakistan's day when they lost those matches.

The standing committee did not look too perturbed with Younis' sudden resignation, which they described as an internal matter of the PCB.

The 31-year-old Younis, who had led Pakistan to Twenty20 World Cup triumph earlier this year, faced harsh criticism after the team crashed out in the semifinal of the Champions Trophy.

A provincial Sports Minister, who happens to be a PCB Governing Council member, raised match-fixing allegations, while others sniffed an Indian conspiracy behind Pakistan's early ouster from the tournament in South Africa

 

[arihant]

very sad. What good captain.

 

[Hyde]

yeah i heard that.......... sad to hear that but i was expecting the same decision from him..... i feel pity on those politicians who knows nothing about their duties and are only interested in others affairs and perhaps wants to get some publicity?

 

[Goodperson]

With so much of passion for cricket coupled with Pakistans victory over India made common man of Pakistan almost certain of winning Champions trophy.
People were unable to digest close losses they may question every one right from umpires, ICC BCCI and Captain, Polticians are bound to react. Why did Younis played with injured finger ? This does not mean Captain should resign. He should have rather kept quite.

Younis is trying to score political point by resigning when he knows for sure PCB and Pakistan needs him he did similar thing earlier when Inzamam resigned. He knows for sure his resignation would create further controversy and would less likely be accepted.

Such behavior should not be tolerated.

I wonder why Mohammad Yusuf cannot be made captain he was denied the chance earlier he is certainly better than Younis.

 

[Huda]

he was a good captain nw who will be next?

 

[Locked]

He should resign from cricket, he cannot even bat properly

 

[Nemesis]

Stupidity of staggering proportions

The absolute stupidity of this whole situation is staggering. An Indian journalist writes a particularly incendiary report after Pakistan's semi-final loss to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, claiming there was more to the defeat than meets the eye. The report was immediately shot down by the ICC and soon after by the newspaper itself.

But the germ had been planted. Pakistan, match-fixing, and so a chain of events, even before the tournament was over, was becoming increasingly predictable: the report would be picked up by Pakistan's hyperactive media big on headlines and poor on detail, some political personalities would get involved, hearings would be called, intrigue would be added, a captain already averse to precisely this would decide he has had enough. Wham, bam, thank you, latest controversy dealt with, let's move on to another.

To the letter, this is what has happened. The chairman of the National Assembly's standing committee on sports, Jamshed Dasti, first told every TV channel and news agency that he thought the matches were fixed and promised a committee hearing and investigation into it. The next day he denied ever making any such allegation, claiming instead that people in general were saying so. At the hearing he told Younis Khan he had not been called in to announce his resignation. After the hearing, Dasti told TV channels that, thankfully, the allegations of match-fixing were totally unfounded. The stupidity of it all is much too much to bear. It will not be surprising if it doesn't happen but it won't be right either if Dasti's role in all this is not held to account.

And now many will make the lazy assumption, pointing to Younis' previous with captaincy, his ethnicity, and tut-tut and say that he has done a 'Younis,' that he is emotional, temperamental and all that. He shouldn't have resigned, or done so in this way. All points have merit but the main point will be missed. It cannot be a good thing to have led your country to the World Twenty20 title and the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy - the only country, by the way, to have reached the last four in both tournaments - and still have your own countrymen suspect you of match-fixing, to ask you, to tell you that it is so. And these are not just allegations of factions in teams, or your own performances: these are serious allegations on your person and integrity. Rightly, he should not have to put up with this pathetic nonsense, stuff that was barely credible to start with. Many captains in the past have had to put up with it and it is something they should not have had to put up with. A whole nation, a people, a culture stands to be blamed.

This being Pakistan, though, it cannot be as simple - or not - as just that. To the stupidity we must add the conspiracy and intrigue. So comes in the name of Shahid Afridi, vice-captain in ODIs and Twenty20 captain. PCB chairman Ijaz Butt met Afridi a few days ago in Lahore; on the agenda, it has been rumoured, was the topic of the ODI leadership, though Afridi and Butt denied it. Butt said later he only wanted to discuss the Champions Trophy performances with Afridi. This is fine, except the natural person to do that with would be the captain, would it not?

In fact, those close to Younis are keen to point out Afridi's angling for the post, though in fairness Afridi has always publicly and regularly backed his captain - and has performed as such to prove it. Younis's fractured finger and poor form further complicate matters and the PCB's dithering on his inclusion for the New Zealand series is precisely the kind of incompetence that wasn't needed. Now all kinds of things are flying around: the team's Punjab lobby has played its hand, Younis has done it as part of a bigger plan, Afridi has meddled; the truth may be everywhere and nowhere but mess is everywhere.

After a recent and fairly commendable upturn in fortunes, once again Pakistan shoots itself and watches bemused as the world sniggers. This year, which has seen international cricket taken away from the country for the forseeable future, has also seen success on the field and off it with the unearthing of some exciting new batting and bowling talent. Younis' captaincy and his side have been much admired globally for again becoming compelling to watch; to most observers, Younis was the most fascinating personality at the Champions Trophy, endearingly honest, open and refreshing. Broadly speaking, he was thought to be a good, calming influence on the side. That message seems not to have reached Pakistan.

Stupidity of staggering proportions | Pakistan Cricket Features | Cricinfo.com

 

[EagleEyes]

This is the worst thing to happen. Even though Younis is out of form. He is the main reason why we have Aamer, Umer Akmal, Fawad in and around the squad. Depending on who becomes the captain expect failures like Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, and Misbah to hang around more.

 

[Huda]

shahid afridi is situable for this job

 

[faisal4pro]

fantastic decision!

i think most of people will be happy with that!

 

[Huda]

yes he is more senior than many player and more efficient

 

[SSGPA1]

He is trying to cause trouble for Jamshed Dasti

Altaf Hussian of MQM warns nationwide protests if his Younis' resignation is accpeted.

Hussain said that he will appeal to all the members of national team to resign in protest if PCB's governing body accepts the resignation and demanded the government to fire the "elements" present in governing body who had orchestrated the conspiracy against the captain.


The party also demanded action against Dasti


MQM warns nationwide strike on Khan issue: Cricket Next

I am happy to see that because I certainly want Jamshed Dsti out of Senate and I wlecome all support.

 

[Vassnti]

At least he is standing up to the ratbags that say the Pakistan team throws matches. I was disgusted by the comments that they only way NZ could beat pakistan in cricket was if the Pakistan team let them.

 

[U-571]

good, now afridi is young and energetic option, he can do well.

btw we still need yunus as a vice captain

 

[Student]

Jamsheed Datsti should mind his own "Dasti" business. This guy should be named and shamed.

It was the team lead by Younis Khan that won us the world cup and not MR"DASTI" this guy is ridiculous.

MR Bhata master should come to pakistan first and then shed crocodile tears.