Younis to stay skipper till World Cup

PCB chairman rejects resignation; appoints Afridi as T20 captain

PCB chairman Ejaz Butt told reporters that the Board had rejected Younis’ resignation and he would continue in this position until the next World Cup.

“I don’t see any justification for removing him as captain. He has done a great job with the team and as long as he remains fit and in form and the selectors keep on selecting him, he remains our captain till the next World Cup,” Butt told reporters in Lahore.
The announcement squashed the hopes of the anti-Younis lobby in Pakistan cricket that had launched a campaign against him, claiming some senior players would revolt if Younis was retained captain of the side.

Butt also said the Board had retained Shahid Afridi as captain of the Twenty20 side until the Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies next year.

Younis had resigned last week after a hearing of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, protesting the match-fixing allegations made by committee chairman Jamshed Dasti, who had accused the team of under-performing against Australia and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy.

Pakistan lost in the semifinals of the tournament to New Zealand with Younis leading the side despite having a fractured finger. Butt said when PCB had named Younis skipper in January this year, the Board had not discussed any term for his captaincy.

“But now obviously, he wants security like any other captain. So he will remain our captain until the next World Cup. He is doing a good job and that is his right,” Butt said.
Butt defended Younis’ resignation in the face of the match-fixing allegations, saying it was a natural reaction by the senior player. “He reacted after so many things happened and I would have done the same had I been in his place,” Butt said.

Pakistan play three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches against New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates next month.

Asif to sit out

Pakistan will not be able to take their key strike bowler Mohammad Asif got that series because of the pacer’s detention in Dubai last year over possession of a banned substance.

Butt said Asif cannot be a part of the Pakistan team as he will not be allowed entry into the UAE. “He was deported from Dubai and according to regulations he cannot enter there,” said the PCB chief.

Earlier this month, Butt had approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) for  Asif’s clearance. Asif was barred from entering the UAE after being detained in Dubai for 19 days in June last year for the possession of opium when he was returning home after featuring in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League.

He was later released without being charged but was deported from Dubai, which means he cannot travel there.

He was handed a one-million-rupee fine by the PCB for his Dubai detention.