Friday, April 13, 2007

Younis rejects Pakistan captaincy

Younis Khan
Younis was jostled by fans on his return home from the Caribbean
Batsman Younis Khan has turned down the chance to succeed Inzamam-ul-Haq as Pakistan's new captain.

Younis, who is about to begin a county contract in England with Yorkshire, is unhappy with the reception the team received after their World Cup exit.

The 29-year-old said: "I have always given 100% for my country.

"But when your family gets threatning calls and our effigies are burnt and our pictures put on donkeys, I can't lead the team in such circumstances."

Inzamam stepped down as skipper after Pakistan were knocked out of the World Cup at the first round stage, but although he is finished with one-day cricket, he hopes to continue his Test career.

Younis was the obvious candidate to take over, having been vice-captain since 2005 and having led the team in two Tests and six one-dayers when Inzamam was unavailable.

"They offered me the captaincy with full powers. The PCB [Pakistan Cricket Board] said they would also be appointing a strong selection committee to back me up, but I refused after thanking them for their offer," he told the Urdu language Express newspaper.

Younis, who described Tests as "real cricket" is also thinking over whether he wants to continue playing limited overs internationals after an unsuccessful time in the Caribbean where he made only 37 runs in three innings.

The PCB hopes to appoint a new captain and coach early next month.

They have already suspended the central contracts of members of the national team and will switch to performance-related terms for future series.

Javed Miandad, a former captain and coach of the national team, has backed the board, saying: "Unless steps are taken to curb player-power and they are given the message that they don't have automatic places in the team, nothing will change."

He added: "The next captain must be strong, but not allowed to dictate to the selectors or the board."

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