CricketViewer.com

Former captain Imran Khan said Younis Khan’s refusal to lead the national side has left Pakistan cricket in crisis following the team’s first-round elimination from the World Cup.

Younis was asked by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take over the job after Inzamam-ul-Haq stepped down and retired from ODIs last month. But Younis felt the job was too stressful.

“I don’t understand it. If he didn’t want to be captain he should not have accepted the vice-captaincy for the last two years,” Imran said on Tuesday. “His refusal has led to a crisis,” he expressed.

PCB sources said that all-rounder Shoaib Malik would become the next captain following Younis’s decision.

“It is useless trying to convince Younis to lead the team if he does not want to do it. But what he did was wrong,” said Imran.

The cricketer turned politician, who led Pakistan to their only World Cup triumph in 1992, said he wished Malik the best.

“He appears to have a good cricket brain and could turn out to be a very good choice for Pakistan cricket,” he added.

Another former captain, Javed Miandad, also criticised Younis.

“This episode is a reflection on the sort of discipline prevailing in our cricket set-up,” he said. “It is disappointing for me that someone should turn down the honour of being asked to captain his country. It is not a good sign for Pakistan cricket,” he explained.
Source:The News