As from the top i read almost all comments the majority say that they like younis as captain so doo i but the point why he felt to take the desion to end as a dummy captian there must be some big problem with him and from the high profile mangement. but i think he is the best captian after the mind blowing and excllent middle order world second highest score Inzy. we know that both can play in the extreem downfall of the game . I read from much respected person in cricket commentroy i didnt recall his name he define younis as imran khan's caliber captain both khan.

It's good to see ablog for Pakistan issues. Here are my few cents, I think the entire management should have been sacked and put on to trial in cout for not doing the right thing. What was every one doing in Oval watchng cricket but noone is aware of cricket laws. They all just sat their and created this mess, Let's start with Mr Sharyar Khan the worst person has abslute no credts to be the chief of PCB, just compare him to India and you will know what i am talking about. How come PCB did not file a complaint against hair and how come they are not appeling the verdict, if their is no ball tempring then that match should be deleted from the history books so that it does not show we lost the seires 3-0. Now coming back to Y.Khan issue well I agre and support him, if he is named as caption then he has the full right to pick is playing eleven, he should not be dictated, because at the end it's him who will be responsible for win or loss. I support him 100%, every time he has played his part as Capt he has done very well and over all think that he is a better capt than Inzi but no one beats Inzi in batting and he is our hero and legend and because of Inzi we have won so many matches. So let's talk about Y.Khan in ODI team , in the past his performance is not that great but in recent times he has improved and he deserves the perm spot in the ODI team, so who should be the Capt in Inzi's absence in ODI, I think Y.Khan has to focus on his bating performance than being a Capt if he proves that he can play well in ODI then may be in a year time he can be a Capt because if you afe a Capt you have a lot of pressure and in my eyes his first business is being a good ODI bats man, with that being said i think they should promote Razaq as Capt and since Vice Capt does not have much pressure than that can be M.Yousaf. The reason i say is that Razaq is always fit and good all around player and get's along well with every one and quite senior in the team and deserves to be a Capt in Inzi's absence.

What Younis Khan did was totally unprofessional. Asif Iqbal was totally right when he said that Pakistani players don't know how to carry themselves publicly. If I could,I would just kick him out of the team to make a case. I for one was one the the biggest supporters of Khan but now I have lost all respect for him. Look at Australians and England. Ricky Ponting sits out in any match he wants but the others who captain the team in his place never say anything like this. The same is with the English. Younis Khan thinks its more of an honor to captain Yorkshire then his own country. If he had so much of a problem why did he all of a sudden reclaim the captaincy as soon as Shaharyar resigned. Just because Imran Khan and Nasser Husain think he would be a great captain doesn't mean you can do what you want to.And what about poor Mohammad Yousuf !!

As Younis said,PAST IS PAST, so we all have to forget whatever in last two weeks and prayfor our team for on going champions tropy All agree Younis is capable and a man with a thinking head, unlike..... Younis is our future captain and will Inshallah will bring all the glories back to us, and one thing we all think on, why a senior player who is set as a captain who has to retire after world cup, why to take risk, as done in past. we have to do long terms planning and handover the team to Younis and let him lead the team like Imran (our Legend) did

Mr. Abbasi, I don't agree with your comments. I understand whatever Younis Khan was not right but You and I are not his mind or heart and we still don't know the EXACT reason which lead to this whole drama.

Also I would like to know how much cricket playing background you yourself have? Do you still play cricket or just like to criticize? Do you have cricket record on Cricinfo? Were you present with Younis Khan at the time of the event? Always remember that awards are only given to those who perform on the ground, not to the ones who criticise. As a Pakistani just pray and support your team.

Well, what I can say is that it just represents the stability we have in our country. PCB is just a piece of it. Mr. Younis should well be aware about the definitaion of DUMMY. I sometimes wonder how on earth PCB is running which has had 24 chief exectuvies till now, the number is a bit more than number of PMs to date in Pakistan. Enjoy till it lasts my friend (I mean Younis Shall be happy that he still is a part of team after such a childish act), it wont last for ever. I dont think that we lack in the spirit, brains etc what we lack in is the sense of responsibility, the attitude towards that sense, honesty, decipline, self-respect etc. In Punjabi we say "DANG TAPAO", in Spanish the best expression is MANIANA (will do it tomorrow). TIll we have have this "DANG TAPAO"or "MANIANA" policy on an indiviadual and national level, be more than happy and thankful that we still have a running country and a cricket team which has the 1992 world championship title under her belt. cheers

The captaining controversy has again opened a new chapter. I personally feel Younis is the best option to lead the team after the big man(Inzi). After all it was Inzi to show us a ray of hope and in the past he was one of the major reason for triumph tale. The way things has gone in the past few weeks are really very disturbing for any Pakistani fan. It was to the hilt unprofessional on the part of Younis Khan to quit captaincy that way. I still would like to see the cricket board interfere and find out the real cause. And also Younis should be penalised for it. For to ensure it must not happen in the future. It is not a mere past but will certainly affect the future of any captain or be it him. Secondly, the board should be agile and wonder why the board is so incapable in doing away with the politics in the team. The big names must not become an element of bully in the team. The captain should be empowered in the disposal of his duties. It is not one or two stars that matters, it is the group of eleven that brings glory. The board should be bold enough to drop any such character from the team. Also the selection committee must enlarge the horizon of lot for selection of tournament and should be in consultance with the captain for taking certain step. Not necessarily his opinion be accepted but atleast to know of the future happenings. And lastly I wish the team a best of luck and hope there will be no such drama again.

I fully support Younus Khan as captain of pakistan. Although I agree that what he did was wrong but then let us also consider what are the alternatives as far as cricket captaincy is concerned. Inzi I am afraid needs to go back to school while M.Yousuf can go join a madrassa.

What we dont need in Pakistan Cricket are distractions and this is exactly what the above gents end up bringing.

I had a high esteem for YK. He's a good cricketer, a tough fighter, and seems to be an affable fellow (at least, as it appears on TV), always smiling and sportive. Now, for me, he's under the microscope. I'm not going to conclude anything yet because he has not said why he did what he did. It's like a conflict between a couple - who knows what problems they have in the privacy of the bedroom?

Having said that, I personally don't think it's fair to say extreme things about him. Particularly given our cultural background and the way we behave and handle ourselves as organizations. Of course, I'm talking exclusively about the sub-continentals. [I'm not saying Anglo-Saxons or others do not exhibit irrational or unprofessional behaviors in organizations but their institutions don't fall down or processes don't get broken or people don't lose reputations and lives like it happens in South Asia]. Whether we call our polities "democracies" or "dictatorships" or "feudal" or whatever, the underlying lack of RATIONALISM is lacking. Somehow, that fundamental element of Organization is missing from our communities, towns, societies, schools, parties, and yes, nations. It just passed us by. [Hence, there is scope for feudals and fanatics and mullahs and swamis and such assorted deviants to ruin our communities and relations between them. Oftentimes, they wear politicians' hats]. Anyway, given such background, is it fair to blame YK entirely. Let's see what he does on the field. He's a sportsman and an entertainer and I hope that we give him a fair chance.

One last word: when will we stop depending on politicians and bureaucrats to run our cricket? Haven't they destroyed hockey enough? Will we ever learn?! It's easy to mouth off on an individual sportsman but we'll tuck our tails when we face a Shahryar or Musharraf or Pawar or Jaitley or Dalmiya....? Bring that bunch down, I say!

In Rubiyaat of Omar Khayyam, I recall a couple of lines....."The moving finger writes, and after having writ, moves on".

The concensensus of opinion seems to be , YK was silly, foolish and all expletives in the book. We do not know what the real reasons were for him to act in the manner he did. If it was team selection, or in particular the inclusion of a player, who despite many chances, has yet to deliver at the highest level, then his actions may well be justified. We are responsible for our actions, and can usually justify them, given a set of circumstances.

YK actions does raise a fundamental question. If the captain is not a part of the team selection process, then is there a need to have the captain as part of the selection committee? It would be akin to saying to a General that today your mode of transportation is a donkey cart, and not a Jeep!, and if he does not get to the destination, then all blame is on his leadership and or driving skills!!

We unfortunately have developed a blame culture, in every walk of life. Instead of repairing the foundations or strengthening them, we go about papering the cracks. For a while everything looks in good shape, then the cracks reappear.

What is needed is a few SELFLESS individuals who can put the needs of the game over and above their needs to move us into an era, where the management and the players can work together to create an atmosphere where we can get an opportunity to marvell at the finer points of individual skills of our cricketers, and talk about performances for years to come.

Every one is liable to make a mistake or two, as we are only human. What we have to appriciate, is that a classy cover drive, is a result of many hours of graft off the field. Players put in a lot of effort to create the spectacle for us, and i believe that it is our duty to support them in every way we can. SO that they can continue to provide us with the entertainment, without which we will be so poorer.

Dr. Rashid Ali

Aslaam alaykum people,

Lets forget about the last few days, they have been ugly for all concerned and no doubt for Younis Khan more than everyone else. Things are now more diffcult for Khan than they were before. Prior to these events, Younis had little or no pressure, even the team would not have made it to the semifinals, people would have forgiven him and understood that Inzi makes a big difference to the team and with absence Younis did not have as strong a team, no doubt he knows he has unnecessarily piled on the pressure on for himself. I can see that the structural tension has created that only one result is acceptable.

In all of this my feelings are with Yousaf and Razzaq and though Yousaf has been given the chance before and failed, I think that by showing patience he has set the example which a good team man should show. I do not know of the short commings of Sharyar Khan in this instance, but I can tell you that he has to be given some credit for stability over the good times and credit for bringing a good team of captain and coach along with a succesion plan for the Captain to the team, a plan which was unheard of in the Pakistan set up prior to him. So perhaps he did not belong anymore but he must have done something right for their to be calm in a turbulant environment of Pakistan Cricket prior to the Oval events.

I also attribute alot of the calm to Inzi, though I must admit I feel uncomfortable when players are openly praising him without reason. However you look at Pakistan's track record for the time while Inzi has been in the team and his contributions to matches won then it becomes apparent that Pakistan has been a force mainly because of Inzi. I agree we have had exceptional bowlers during that period but we had exceptional bowlers prior to that and we have had ordinary bowlers since but the team has been feared becasue of its potential to win matches, that potential largely comes from the titan in the middle order, Inzamam-Ul-Haq.

So I make this plea to the People of Pakistan, this man is a hero bigger than many others and many others may knock him because he has the potential to become a bigger legend than many other, but I plead that we make his final years in Cricket appreciating a legend that we had the chance to see. I say to you people that another Inzi will not be found for many years in Pakistan just like another Wasim, Imran and Javed. So please accept that this man is extrodinary and who ever replaces him as captain is not important, how we treat him in his last years is much more important. We don't need to praise him without reason like some of his team mate but we do need to accept that we may not see another Pakistani like Inzi in our life time.

Sajid Naheem

this is just another proof, how confused as a nation we are!. I wonder if we can ever learn how to set priority, we talk about national prides, and honours and being embasedors of poor 170 millions pakistanies and overwrite all these slogans with Personal egos and personal gains. and all we are left with sensations of intrigues and quest for personal glories.

this is a undending shame and pain.

Hi Mr K Abbasi i hope u ok and doing well, i almost read all the comments today loadz of them r in Younas Support and some of thm r againts him well i simply dnt understand the way poeple think right u knw wht guy of Nation is CRAZY if the same player do wel and get the CUP for us we wil be singing there song and if they dnt perform thn thts it every1 is ready to kill thm and i think its not fair on thm bcoz win and loose is a part of game as far as they r trying there best tht it thn we should accept whtever the outcome is anyway lets come to the point wel as in my previos comments i mentioned tht Younas decision was the right one bcoz the board should ask captain before selecting the replacement for any player bcoz at the end of the day captain is the one whoz gona take the decision in the game not the board and if u lot think tht board is gona do tht thn i think Younas wording was right tht he dont want to be a DUMMY captain? (guys think abt tht tooo) i think younas is a gud lad he has the capabilities of leading our team.

Inzi Vs Younas wel Inzi is a world class player and i think once inzi is gona retire from international cricket thn its gona be same problem whn Wasim Akram retire still pakistani board is unable to find the replacemnet and inzi is a big captain and he is a big batsman too there is no doubt he is a man u can rely tht if he is on pitch thn anything can be posible he can change the game anytime, may be paki cricket board able to find a better captain but no way tht they r gona find a replacement of inzi as a batsman and specially the way they select the team is stupid no merit and nothing and if they select anyone thn this player is gona be a 12th man in every single match of the series (I simply dnt understand this thing) why our captain, coach, manager and other responsible people r not ready to take any chances)why they dnt wana try someone whoz performing well in domestic?? why they always giving chance to same players??? why why why ?? is paki cricket board is able to answer this ??? is captain or coach is able to answer this??? whts the point of taking a player wit u for a series and not giving a chance in a single match???? wel i tried to contact PCB loadz of time but i didnt get sucess in it but mr KAMRAN i will really appriciate tht if u can pass this to someone responsible in PCB tht atleast they knw tht wht we thinking abt there selection criteria and team selection, at the end gud luck Younas and gud luck paki cricket team may Allah help u and grant to tht much TAUFEEQ tht u can fulfil ur duties completly AMEEN

a few years ago, a couple of us from LUMS went to visit a friend in peshawer, and while in there we fell into a discussion over cricket with some guys from the city. the question of younis khan's value came into the talk, and all of us were credelous of this player whose only century in ODIs was against Hong Kong. the incensed pathans felt otherwise, convinced he would deliver. fittingly, like a true pakistani MYK chose india as the opponent to come of age aginst, and for sweet measure he dealt the same dose to the colonial rulers.

but correct me if i am wrong here, wasn't he just too nice... pakistani cricket is characterized by insanity and madness. how else would you explain that inzi, the gentlest cricketer in our history is also one of the most frequent abusers of the ICC code of conduct?

in a strange, perverse, pakistani way MYK's indiscretion is exciting. our greatest players have been marked by fickleness.

the reactions so far have described MYK's actions as shocking, dumb, mad, illogical, insane... aren't those the reasons we love pakistan cricket so much?

All teams from S.Asia have Boards who run the game only for personal gain. Hence you see that whoever gets to be the 'chairman' brings in his own 'clique' to play their brand of 'politics'. Then the appointed captains also start their own 'act' and get their 'own' players on the team with the result that there is disunity in the team and they lose more often than win games, may they be 'tests' or 'odi's'. The selectors also put their 'oars' in to muddy the waters still further. So you have controversys of axing of Ganguly, retirement of Jayasuriya etc. Nobody seems to accept that Cricket is a game which has its own rules many of which may seem unrealistic as the game has evolved today, but, you have to accept it. At the Oval it was patent that neither Inzi nor Zaheer Abbas nor Shahryar Khan knew the rules of cricket. The Team management if aware of the rules would have told Inzi to get back on the field and that they will handle the protest with the ICC. So a protest ends up as a fiasco. At the inquiry Inzi is cleared of 'tampering' but found guilty of bringing the game into 'disrepute' and is banned for 4 matches. So can anyone tell me whose 'face' got saved by this unsavoury incident. Just to continue with all these sort of childish posturing we now have Younis resigning and then accepting the captaincy just 2 days before the team leaves for the Champions trophy. What was he thinking of when he resigned and then took back the reins? Was he preparing a ready made excuse for the team's failure if they do not bag the trophy? All this is typical S.Asian melodrama and shows that politics in sports and the way they are conducted in the region will not change even though we are well into the 21st century and living in 'cyber' age now.

I agree what Younis did was really dump. I think it is an honor being the captain of your team, even if you are a temporary replacement. Despite all this, I believe Younis will lead Pakitan with the same fire that he has shown in the limited experience as captain. As far as Zaheer Abbass is concerned I honestly think that he made a fool out of himself during the oval fiasco. After the match was forfeited, he was not able to answer the media properly. He looked stupid as he had no clue what was happening, nor did he know how to tackle the situation. I remember the reporters saying "there is no video evidence", to which Zaheer said something which made Pakistan look more guilty than not. Everything said and done I feel Pakistan will do well and INSHALLAH win the Trophy.

(Nasim Ashraf—I'm humble enough to drop the title Dr, why isn't he?)

A self proclaimed humble man is anything but. Where is the humility in that statement? The irony!

Having read most of the comments, the theme seems to be Younis bashing. True, he deserves a rap across the knuckles for what he did, but lets not hang him. To be fair, this is a Pakistani cricketer we are talking about--the prima donna act comes with the job description.

Some of the rhetoric about 'izzat' also annoys me. Come on! Why dilute and distort that concept?

Now I am hoping against hope, Younis and his men confound all expectations and win this worthless trophy. Anything less and we might see some more heads roll in Pakistan cricket--quite possibly of the man NOT involved in the Champions trophy, Inzi. Now that truly would be tragic.His credentials as captain (or lack thereof) notwithstanding, that is no way to treat a hero.

you'r so right Mastan, as being a sportsman is not just matter of choice, but more so an honour, which is not for everyone. This honour when bestowed upon someone deserving and having turned away from it is not only a shame, but also weakness of character in terms of what it takes to be a leader; the ability to uphold collective values than individual honour, and the will to sustain strong ground in adversity.

Younis Khan should have not been made captain once he resigned. He should not even have been kept in the team, not just for Champions Trophy, but for any later series. Not a single player is bigger than the game itself, not an umpire or any official, no one is indispensible, and this is something Pakistani official need to learn if they are to breed champions for tomorrow. Forgiving Younis today can have dire consequences in future as someone else might want to play god with PCB and its operations.

Leading the representatives of your country is the ultimate sporting prize, apart from actually bringing the prize home, and anyone who does not have any respect for such should not be allowed to be part of it, regardless of the nature of 'personal reasons'.

Mr Abbasi, I believe that the pakistani players lack the basic training of how to act in he world forum. The job offer of captaincy is the ultimate prize second to being the world champions for any player. It is a sign of incompetence and a lack of confidence to refuse the job if you think that it is temporary. This kind of reasoning is not acceptable. Under these strenuous circumstance, a man is allowed to show his mettle. That is how leaders are born when they put you into the grinder, which seperates the men from the boys and you come out shining like a star. A hero is born. For everyone of you who has been given the chance to lead and you have refused it, in this fast lane, fast paced world, there is no place for you to ask to be made a captain at a later date. Zaheer Abbas should have never refused the offer of captaincy---we may have found another leader, but maybe Zaheer knew himself better that he didnot had it in him to lead. This burden is not handled easily by everyone.

I think this is typical of pakistan, neutralizing their talents with sheer dumbness. This is what makes them an entertaining team never a great team. I dont think they will get anywhere near winning the champions trophy but that only augurs well for them in the world cup. Because thats the nature of their team, when they get beaten and humiliated in one series they have no choice but pull together and silence their critics in the next- and their talents allows them this luxury.

With all due respect to most of the comments above, I write something in support of Younis Khan. We all know that he is great player, a great cricketer, a team man and he has got all characteristics, which a player should possess. We all talk about how he refused the captaincy??? Has someone ever eondered, why?? Why all of sudden a man who has always played for team and is famous for that denied such a great honor?? I am very certain that someone like afridi ( a consistent under performer, or may be a once in a while player) said something. Why did he have to wait 20 minutes outside the office??? He was a captain and should have been given respect.

So this fiasco can not be blamed upon younis, until the full reason is unearthed. I am sure, he cannot do anything, which would tarnish the reputation of the country.

I am not sure why everyone is engaging in Younis Khan bashing without knowing what the reasoning was behind his outbursts.

Why should a captain not have a say in the selection of his team?

Also, one of the main reasons for our failure in the past has been the selection of people like Faisal Iqbal for political reasons.

I dont think that we should be judgemental with respect to Younis at this stage.

If the team supports him, I think that after Imran Khan he may well be our best captain yet. He just needs to mature into that role.

Good luck

What really disappoints me is that every single nation in the world backs their fellow countrymen! Darryl Hair is a very bad umpire at best but in reality a cheat and still the whole of the Australian nation supported his actions. Why does Pakistan have to wash its dirty laundry in public? This statement does not just apply to cricket! In this case we have our greatest batsman ever Inzamam Ul Haq! Respected and revered all over the world being attacked by has beens! People who never did and never could attain what this man has done. He has carried Pakistan for 14 years on his own! Why can’t you people (Pakistanis) respect your heroes and pay them their just dues. Mustaq Ahmed helps Sussex win two major titles and take 100 wickets in a single season. He is a hero here in UK and Pakistan sacks him before he has even got his kit on. The administrators in Pakistan suck and its time for reasonable people especially those in the media to start hounding them like the dogs they are! Younis Khan you have really shown your true worth as a person. ‘Dummy Captain’: Feel honored to walk out onto the filed in the colors of your nation you fool! Every Paki that has one good series wants to become Captain. No Indians just chiefs with this nation. Pakistan had the best team in the 90’s better than Australia have ever had but do we have the results to prove it? No! Because Waqar and Wasim were too busy cat fighting with each other. Two of the best bowlers in history breaking the whole team up because they want to be captain and say ‘I am the boss’. Shame on you people you area disgrace. Look at the Aussies. They will die for their nation and they don’t need to shout that from the rooftops they do it on the field. Our Pakistani heroes have won the battle and are ready for the coronation before the battle has begun and when it comes to the fight they are no where to be seen. The exceptions being people like Inzamam. Pakistan will never produce another Inzi and the nation has treated him like this. Shame, Shame!

I am extremely disappointed with Younis Khan. Like everyone is saying, his behaviour was totally dumb and more importantly immature. These qualitiesb are not consistent with being a captain.

I hope this was isolated blunder by Younis and not due to hot-headedness and stupidity. Younis Khan, honeymoon is over. One more strike and he should be taken out of captaincy and the team. Ethics, discipline and principle are far more important than just winning games. PCCB wake up!!!

Another sad event for Pakistan Cricket. Looks like not too any Pakistani players know how to handle respect. I think its a great honour to lead your country's side and there are not much players around who would behave in a similar manner as younis khan did. Masterpieces like that are very often found in Pakistan side. This whole event was such a huge embarassment for the whole Pakistani nation. Younis Khan should have been given some sort of punishment for making a mockery of country's cricket and shouldnt have been offered the job ever again. But this is Pakistan Cricket. You can get away with stuff like this in a matter of hours only in Pakistan.

Firstly, I think YK should be sacked. No one is above the game, and certainly not YK, especially considering his ODI record.

Regarding Mushy, I think he would have been a good addition as an assitant coach because the true strength of the team lies in its hoard of all-rounders like Shoiab Malik and Afridi. Mushy would have polished them to become better bowlers and thus more lethal players.

In the current circumstances, I would have sent Inzy with the team as the guy sitting out, with Yousaf and Razzak both emerging as potential future captains. Although I like YK, I think all he proved was that he is not capable enough of leading the team. Young and upcoming players like Akmal and Asif need positive influence more than any thing else and this is something that YK failed to provide.

Considering the state of the team, I fully support the host nation India to win the Champions trophy and this will be a reward for Dravid and Chappel to prove that their efforts were worth all the controversy @ home.

Kamran Abbasi yet again does not fail to add fuel to the fire. There is something uniquely inept about Pakistani journalists and I'm afraid Kamran is no different.

You actually suggest that you were disappointed when Pak cricket was not in turmoil so what does that say about you.

YK was indeed foolish but if he has apologised then that should be the end of the matter. YK has also stated his backing for Inzy who has now been confirmed as Captain for the WI series.

That also blows your conspiracy theory out of the water. I think Dr Ashraf made a very strong statement to both the players and the media that Pak cricket will no longer be treated as a plaything of the Pak crikcet voyeurs who all enjoy stirring trouble in order to get their kicks.

You should be ashamed.

I'm sure it'd be a different feeling when one actually tries to be in Younis Khan's shoe; it's another world.

There are two sorts of colour in this world. One, that most of us see, and the other, that's actually there. Sadly, the latter's just a figment of imagination, now.

Why Havnt we been able to Keep the politics out of Cricket? Its not Rocket Science .. is i

After this random episode, I feel extremely sorry for Muhammed Yousaf. Just imagine what went through his head! I hope he doesn't reject the captaincy offer in future saying 'his reputation and honor' was affected in the past, and hence he is not willing to become a "DUMMY CAPTAIN".

While I am at it, I would also like to say that none of us could be sure about what actually happened behind the scenes. Pakistan, a country where even the President(an authoritative general) is involved in cricket behind the scenes, can never have a strong administrative backbone for Cricket. Just imagine what happened behind the scenes during the past 2 weeks? We will never know the truth, but I beleive half of this junk was a result of the darn politics.

I have read nearly all comments, but one must take into consideration what inzi n pakistan did at oval, according to me, was indeed great. A team to stand against a allegation, a allegation known as Cheating which we pakistanis have history with is good. You can not accuse a team without proof and what Inzi did and the pak team was correct. Why carry on playing when accused of cheating? Cricket is not a game for cheaters nor for cheats. We made a point at Oval that we do not cheat and Mr Darrel Hair has been biased towards us. What ever Younis Khan did, I do not blame him. You can not pass a judgement on a character on media reports. We know media twists the stories, untill Younis khan himself clears the situation, I will not speak a word against him. He could as well have a valid accuse of what he did. The only thing which he would have done better was not going public, instead having a meeting with the pcb officals and clearing things up. Again, this is only my point of view, I am a supporter, and our team needs our support now. There is a lot of things which we dont have a clue about.

Dear Kamran bhai, Very nice to see a Pak blog! As far as YK is concerned i think he needs to have a better attitude... Just like a person with Hair's attitude shouldn't be an umpire then a man with Younis Khan's attitude shouldn't be a captain.

I dont know why Younis has always been preferred over Mohd Yusuf. I think that not only Yusuf is much more senior than Younis, he is more reliable a player than Younis. In my view the decision of giving captaincy to Yusuf should not have been reversed. I would be surprised if Yusuf is not pissed off at the new management.

Bravo Kamran Abbasi, you have called a spade, a spade and you have said it better than anyone. There is nothing more to add.

TWO SWORDS CANT BE KEPT IN ONE ........but why we cant have two good players in pakistan team...why our cricket pundits think that if younis is IN then inzi is OUT.why????why cant we have both???it seems that when the team was on right track....everybody was waiting for some sort of infighting..and when finally a single incident occurs they all(our ex-cricketers)find it a good atmosphere to settle their scores... 1.change the foreign coach 2.shake the team I ask all those seniors that instead of helping the team to regroup you are issuing very sad comments and trying to blow up the issue more aad more.....please say some patriotic things in the media...give the whole team a positive wayout.

I think the Younis Khan did the right thing when he resigned as a captian since he was not being consulted regarding the team selection. It is much better not to be a Captian than to a dummy Captain. It is the Imran Khan approach that when you will be blamed for the poor performance you should have the saying in the team selection.

Pakistan team should be selected on the merit basis and not please people.

M. Asif USA

Dear kamran, Its is very heartning that you have come out with blog in which the Pakistan cricket fans could write freely what they think about the team. Well the first thing want to say is that it really id not make any sense at all for Younis khan to do what he did in the past week.If he had problems with the selection of a player he should have sorted that out calmly with the selcetion commitee,but to resign from captaincy like that was non sense.Just imagine what the international cricket arena would think about the destablized nature of Pakistan cricket affairs.The captain resigning,the chairman,than a new chariman and Younis being brought back all this is a sign of chaos in the board. As fas as inzi and ball tampering issue at the Oval is concerned i think he did the right thing,someone had to take the stand and if their was no evidence than why was the team being tainted as being involved with ball tampering.Younis is a naturqal successor to inzi after world cup 2007 but before that to tell inzi to leave would be a disgrace for the best batsman that Pakistan has produced.Inzi would be surely missed in India and i think Pakistan's chances of even getting to the final have received a severe blow after the ban on inzi.Anyways i hope the team performs well in the champions trophy and i wish them good luck Thank you

Well ! Younis Khan did the right, when there is no consultation with captain on substitute player & when Chairmain make him wait for more than 1 hour for just a meeting, what should a captain do ??? Just go in Public.....that's what Khan had to do. About Mushtaq, I remember when Inzi was asked about him, Inzi said "His role is to MOTIVATE the players" well well, so now you even need a motivation coach ! To motivate cricketers to play cricket , For Dr Nasim Ashraf, it's time to control this "Religious Regime".

Hi Every1 i hope u all ok and doing well lets come to a point, i think there Younas khan decision is shocking or anything i m younas mate and i know him for long time and i knw him tht he cant take anything like tht and i think wht he did is right bcoz its a genaral thing tht whn u giving someone responsibility to do something thn should give him a power too otherwise whts the point?? but i do agree the way showed his opinion to public is not right but at the end he is right tht u cant just lead a team of 11 people whn u knw tht thm lot not gona listen to u, so i think he decision was right anyway wht ever happend is happen now we all should pray for Pakistani Team tht they win the Champion Trophy for us i think its gona be big gift for all of us so gud luck pakistan

I beleive Younis Khan did right job. He is captaincy material. In my view, he should be captain for pakistan in next world cup and Inazamam should play as batsman under him. Players like Afidi, Razzaq should learn to respect the captain, whoever it may be. Younis has all skills to become successful captain. He has great temperment and brings life in the field unlike Inazamam.

I think what Younis Khan did was not totally out of proportion. I personally agree with his decisions and was not a dumb move. But I do believe way these events unfolded right before the tournament were unprofessional and unwarranted.

What really happened here was that Inzamam and company tried to impose their muscle on Younis Khan by telling him that we will make the decisions from the dressing room while you execute our instructions. Therefore the word "dummy". Since it is the captain's reputation on the line Younis has all the right to refuse such a role. Younis as the captain was imminent from the day we knew Inzamam was not going to be available for the Champions Trophy but the dummy part came in right before the tour when Inzamam and company got their minds off of the hearing.

Argument can made both way from a point of view that he refuse to represent his country as a captain, but I tend to side with the counter argument that in long term he has sent the message clear as to what to expect when Inzamam retires. Younis is trying to be proactive and increasing his circle of influence, which he succesfully did.

What is wrong about this situation is Shaharyar Khan's blind support for Inzamam in this matter, even when he was wrong after being so right a couple of weeks earlier to protest against the ball tampering accusation. Competitive sports often face these kind of circumstances. Inzamam has to prove that he is the best guy to lead the team and quite honestly Younis is his competition. Would Younis like to lead this team in the world cup, I believe the answer is absolutely YES and he should if he is the best captain present on the team. PCBs blind support of Inzamam in this matter will not make the team better, infact PCB should let Younis and Inzamam fight it out on a merit bases.

I think Inzamam knows that Younis is the better captain, and Inzamam also knows that he himself is a better player. That is why we hear him making statements that if the captaincy is taken away from him he will not play. And trying to make dummy captains when out of the game to keep his hold unprofessionally. While Younis says he will have no problem Inzamam lifting the trophy, knowing he is a better captain and is willing to give it a shot on a professional level while still respecting Inzamam.

Younis is a best choice for the Captain. But now it depends on the players how they support him and make him & Pakistan successful.

They should not bring their differences in the field. They should learn from the combination of Imran Khan & Javed Miandad.

They had differences they never bring their differences in the field. Without Javed Miandad performance Imran could not bring tons of success for the Pakistan.

Even the world cup 1992, Pakistan won only five matches in that world cup and Miandad scored half century of all those five matches.

So we will expect full support to their captain in and out of the field especially from Mohd.Yousuf, Abdur Razzak, Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi.

I wish the best of luck to Pakistan cricket team.

Dawar LA, USA

Salam,

It's very refreshing to see you represent Pakistan on Cricinfo.com. I've enjoyed your articles in the past and hope to see more insightful articles in the future.

As far as the recent Younis Khan controversy is concerned, like others, I agree that it was not the best course of action taken by Younis but being a firm believer in looking at both sides of the picture and obtaining facts, we still don't know the whole story (and might not know at all, for that matter) therefore I would like to refrain from passing judgment on Younis and give him benefit of the doubt. Whereas, the management of Pakistan Cricket is a different story altogether. I think its in dire need of good management and proper accountability. Its very easy to criticize (which, mind you, we tend to do quite often) but very difficult to work with the present system and change. Let's hope for the best!

peAce GQ

Pakistan!!!The Islamic republic of Pakistan!!!Our ideology!!!Seems to apply to everyone else but ourselves!!!Please forgive and forget like our religion teaches and be the bigger person and unite and unleash the wrath of your cricketing genuis and talent on other teams. I hope I am able to see this atleast once in my lifetime what we are capable of just like what the West Indies were and what Australia are. Remember what the Quaid said: "Unity, Faith, Discipline".

Yes Younis Khan acted in a rash manner, but lets not forget he hasnt yet told us the exact reason he acted the way he did. It is very sad about Mushy, and I think removing him is a mistake. However lets leave this behind and be happy that when Inzamam retires, we'll still have a great batsman and a very good captain for the Pakistan team, the best man for the job, and that is Younis Khan.

I unequivocally agree with Mr Kamran Abbasi. I also hope we are totally wrong in suspecting there is more political drama brewing in Pakistani cricket than reaches the eye. I really liked Younis Khan as a player and admittedly he is still a good player . However I got concerned when he fought with Shahid Afridi(another Pathan firebrand) and only Inzamam's timely intervention prevented a major altercation. This gives me a very good, and not very encouraging idea of the situation after Inzamam's retirement. We can only hope he stays with the team as long as possible. I dont see how Inzamam could have looked foolish during the Oval fiasco and how it could have been an ego problem with him. It was a matter of the nation's ego rather. Lets hope Inzy is retained till the World Cup which we win despite ICC's assiduous efforts to avoid this undesirable result.

Nothing these days surprises me about Pakistan cricket, just when you think there is a modicum of stability in our game there is a mini revolution in PCB.

I agree that YK should not have resigned so publicly from the role of Pakistan Captain, as after we in Pakistan must have more former captains then Australia and England combined in their long history of playing cricket.

I also agree with Imran Khan views on why have we got a General as patron-in-chief of our game, when clearly he may have experience of dealing with diplomats or taking charge of a Country but none when it comes to running a cricket board.

Also as far as long term successor for Inzi is concerned, apart from YK I honestly cannot see an alternative???

Dr Haroon Chaudhry.

m just surprised at some people supporting Younis Khan. What he did was simply unacceptable and uncalled for. Pakistan definitely is the most talented and yet most unpredictable team and thats where the discipline should come in. Whatever Younis did was against the discipline code of conduct and he should have been thrown out of the team to set a precedence. Younis is, no doubt a great captain but the great thing about Inzi is that he has glued the team together which hardly any captains (except Imran) has been able to do with Pakistan and i dont see that quality in Younis Khan. He said he didnt want to be a dummy captain but thats what the Vice Captains are. They only captain the side when the captain is not available. I would still wanna have Inzi as a captain just for the consistency sake and just to kill this captaincy drama before it raises its ugly head again and ruins Pakistan cricket. We have already had enough of these dramas in the past and we cant afford it at this crucial juncture. I feel sorry for Shahryar, he was a great administrator and has carried Pakistan cricket a distance. It is just because of him that we have a consistent team, a consistent captain and consistent performances. I hope we can carry on all that.

Younis has the potential to be a good captain and potential in one day cricket but potential alone is not good enough. Now that he has undone his good work from the last year, he will have to prove himself and I have my doubts, I cannot see Younis taking the pressure which we are now used to seeing Inzi take, Pakistan Cricket is tough, welcome Younis Khan.

On a positive note, Pakistan team has seen stability ever since Inzi has been in the team, since the world cup win, now its time to prepare for the future. Pakistan has only been a force since the world cup, now we will see what lies in the future.

Needless to say both the Oval fiasco and the captaincy issue has shown pakistani cricketers in a poor light. What is more worrying however is the fact that they are comming across as thin skined, immature and easily swayed by opinions of others. International sport is a tough arena and the best way to prove your critics wrong is in the playing field. If Pakistan had been thick skinned enough to take the field in the Oval test, not only would they have won a historic victory but also cleared their name in the subsequent enquiry, thereby having Inzi as their captain for the champions trophy and avoiding the whole Younis Khan espisode.

Many, many thanks for all of those who have been participating in this blog, I have been compeled to just make this comment. "Our crickters now are just playing for money and their personal fame and glory. The Country Pakistan has no value for them, and that is what the fact is. Whether it is Younis or Nasim Ashrif or his budy who took him from an unknown person to this point, are just son of Money, throw them some dollars and they will even sell them selves. Yes We need Mohammad Yousaf only for one day to save PCB's face. Yousaf you have a great respect from all of us and you are an honourable man. I solute you and so should Nasim Ashraf financing Budy. Respect to all readers.

Well i dont know what he was thinking when he took the decision not being as captin for pakistan. i was socked too with what he says That" he dosn`t want to be a dummy". More on it was the resignation of sherayar khan.

Both Really showed an immature behavioure.

Still have to see weather what decisions they both have took is right or wrong

Mr. Kamran Abbasi,

I think you are over-dramatizing when you say that Mushtaq Ahmed was removed becuase of his relationship with Inzamam. The fact of the matter is that appointing Mushatq as assistant coach was a stupid decision in the first place. As of now we have a full time coach and a bowling coach for the team, we also have a bunch of support staff that accompany the team. There is absolutely no need for an assistant coach especially when the tour is a short one as the champions trophy is.

Unfortunately though it seems making stupid decisions is a hallmark of the PCB. Inviting Jonty Rhodes to improve fielding standards of the national team earlier and giving him less than a week's time to do so was perplexing to say the least.

In my opinion Mr. Naseem Ashraf has made absolutley the right decision in removing Mushtaq Ahmed as assistant coach. Maybe his timing is bizzare but then so is the whole situation.

firstly, Inzimam was, and is our best batsman ever. If, Pakistan stands a chance of winning the world cup next year. It will be because Inzimam will have a big part to play in it. We must not forget his record and his performance as a captain and player. How he has led the team by strength to strength. This is the reason I will always back Inzimam the captaincy. He has brought great discipline in this Pakistan team. Even players like Shoaib Akthar has started to become humble and play for the team rather than for him self.

secondly as for the, Younis Khan scenario, he must have his good reason to have behaved the way he did. Saying that if it was because he was not happy the fact that he had to step down to Inzimam. Then i am afraid he should be ashamed. Inzimam will not participate after the next world cup. I think he will quit cricket all together. Making, Younis Khan a natural to takeover. I believe Younis khan dose have the capability to become a good captain now, but he won’t have the same impact as inzimam. I think he should stop being selfish, and work together with inzimam.

You are absolutely right , tht wht younas khan did was dumb , but i always had a feeling tht younas khan is not the type of guy tht he seems.he lacks common sense , is self centered and most of all hav forgotten tht he fought with inzi on football field and also had a dispute with afridi on batting order.

Younas Khan should nedver be made captain now coz it would open a pandora box and the forgettable era of mid 90's wud be back.

Time to settle down and enjoy whatever good cricket comes our way. Cricket is very much a mind game, and its about time we leave the controversies aside, and write positively to encourage our players to perform well. Afterall, irrespective of the going ons in the past, we do all look forward to a rosy future.....ie some silverware.

Much as I was disappointed with Younis Khan's actions, I was further dismayed to hear some of the comments that Pakistanis are making on this blog. A lot of people have polarised opinions which is not unusual given the situation. But I hope the words honour, respect and izzat will not be used in connection with this incident. It seems that the smallest slights are deemed a justification for the most extreme of actions. Furthermore to the many who have claimed that they are ashamed or embarrassed to be Pakistani after this latest crisis, I say shame on you. Have a little dignity and a little pride, we as a nation have our faults but then who doesn't? Constructive criticism is invaluable when it comes to self valuation but a negative mind set prone to sweeping generalizations is definitely not the answer. Whatever Younis Khan did or will do can never affect the way I feel about my country. I hope people will realize that patriotism is a virtue to be carried with grace not an emotion given to stale rhetoric and questionable judgment.

On a happier note Im glad to see so many of my countrymen respond to this blog and hope that Pak Spin becomes a regular feature on the site.

My opinion is that when a person dicards a role, he should not be given another chance. Mohammed Yusuf is simply made to suffer for no fault of his. He has been faithful to Pak for quite some time now and is one of the opillars of Pak batting. Younis, im not so sure about being a pillar, but he is getting there surely. Can anyone understand Yusuf's emotions when the captaincy was given and removed in 1 day. how can he play with all fairness and be able to give his best? I hope he is able to put this petty episode behind him soon.

I want to add something about younis's one day record. Dont criticise him for that as for long he languished in No. 6 or 7 place. How many batsmen in ODI have there average better than younis, especially in the subcontinent? also comare his ODI record in south asia and the rest of the world. I support his captaincy but still believes that theresignation was a low mark in his career.

whatever anybody has to say,for me its a glimpse of hope,the announcement of the arrival of another Imran may be!at least we have a future captain who can take a stand.I am dead sure that younis is going to be a fabulous captain!

i have read some of the comments posted here and i totaly understand what people feel about this situation i too am very let down by pak cricket in whole. Some people mentioned that a few players would not like to play under younis i am very very dissapointed to hear that i hope its just a rumour/assumption. if so i can see inzy retiring and bob woolmer resigning that will hurt pak cricket alot it will be a major loss to pak cricket it would be very hard to replace them both. we just about had unity in the team, i felt as if this team was getting somewhere, since imran khan retired this is the only pak team to have team spirit and its due to inzy and woolmer lets just hope and pray this dont ruin all that and we have a succesful campaign at the champions trophy.

In my opinon what Younis Khan did was not only dumb but very childish and most idiotic thing which anybody in this whole universe could have done.He simply had no right to make such comments and then step down, because he was just temporaraly replacing a team's captain for four matches and after that he had to step down anyhow.But there is one point worth noticing that like Inzi in Younis Khan we will again be having a captain who does not have full knowledge of cricket rules and regulations.Because if he would been aware of the cricket rule,that Inzi will not be able take part in champions trophy at all anyhow,even if Pakistan is able to reach the final,which is most ulnlikely to happen under the dissarray in which pakistan team finds itself now. Due to his childhish behaviour whole nation has been made a laughing stock all around the world and we pakistani are being mocked around all over the world. In my opinion he(Younis Khan)should have been sacked from the team forever altogether as there is no shortage of highly talanted players in our country such as, Mishbah ul haq, Bazid Khan,Asim Kamal and many many others who could have replaced him easily. And secondly all my thoughts are with poor Mohammad Yousuf who deserves all the symphthies of each and everyone of us, who is being tossed around like a ping pong ball and poor guy have gone through this sort of agony and humilation in the past also quiet few times yet he raises never a voice of protest or allows himself to be indulged childish activities as that of so called proud Younis Khan. He(Mohammad Yousuf) is in true sence a muslim as one should be,who forgives and forgets as, none of the most of by birth muslims can so wholeheartedly and easily ever forgive those who inflict pain upon us and humilate us, I really salute him(Mohammad Yousuf). It still remains to be seen what impact this whole event would have on the mindset of Mohammad Yousuf as a player and how would it effet his batting perfomance in particulary. It would be mammoth task on his part if he is still able to put his act together and yet perform to his optimum level after having been through such humilating and turbulent events in such short period of time. I still think there is still time and borad should take a bold step and sack Younis Khan otherwise a very wrong precendent will be set for future,that every time a player will feel his ego has been hurt for any trival matter it may be he will march to press conference or any newspaper or journalist and we as a whole nation will made a laughing stock in front of whole world.

Mr Abasi I totally disagree with your thoughts Younas did the right thing to refuse a dumdy captianship. He has prooven he is natural leader, the enrhusism he brings in team tacticaly he is sound than any one else in the current memory. I remember of Great Imran Khan did the same thing once selector decided team for an Indian tour Imran Khan refused to lead that team. Finally he got the team he wanted and produced the desired results by winning a series for the first on Indian soil in India. I totaly agree with Asif Iqbal the senior player specialy Shoeb Akhtar, Razaq, Yousaf and Afridi need to accept him as their leader to become a champion team.

sad day for all pakistanis...I believe that they should have handled this situation much better. They should have shown more faith in Mohd. Yousuf rather than Younis...I always rated Yousuf as a more classy player and a more faithful pakistani!

However, it turns out that politics rule the game especially in the case of pakistan team!...SAD!

After some very good work on and off the field by Pakistan cricket as a whole over the last few years, this latest episode has reminded us of some of the bad old days. In my opinion Imran should give trying to win his paltry allocation of seats in parliment and get back to doing what he does best. Bring him in and I can assure you know one in that Pakistan team would dare misbehave with the great man around. Imran would be fantastic in developing the youth as well as keeping the old guard in check. Mr.S.Khan did a great job but in the end he was just a fan of the game and not an ex player of the calibre of Imran. Imran for Chairman, Woolmer still coach, Younis sent to a detention centre in Gilgit for 3 weeks hard labour, and the big man allowed to retire on his own terms!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone complains should be sent to join Younis for a little spell of R&R!

I agree with your comments, that what Younis did was unprofessional.

But as far as I can make out from Younis's point-of-view, whatever he did was correct. Firstly, no one wants to be a captain when he doesn't have a say in the selection process. He was clearly upset at the selection of Faisal Iqbal without his consultation, maybe he wanted someone more talented technically and naturally.

Secondly, the move was a way to remove Shahryar Khan from his post, because of his inability to handle to Oval-fiasco, and his over-interference with the selection process. During S.Khan's tenure we had a change in the selector's panel twice. Why?

Yousuf does no himself that he is not a good captain, therefore he's given back his captaincy to Younis.

As far as Mushtaq Ahmed's sacking is concerned, first of all why does he want to part of Pakistan cricket? He never played in 1999&2003 World-Cup. He should know that his international career has finished 7years before, it's better for him to continue County cricket.

Younis Khan is a fantastic captain, he knows how to put the opposition into pressure and how to be pro-active unlike Inzi's re-active captainship. Younis is a player who would undoubtely come-out of this fiasco, the way he did when he was written-off couple of years before.

When we have big-gun players like Akhtar, Afridi, Razzaq, Yousuf, Asif, Rana, Younis himself; we have a bunch of talent laying in the team and INSHA-ALLAH with the help of the ALMIGHTY, Team Pakistan will pull-it off.

I wish the best of luck to Team Pakistan.

Sincerely Speaking, The cricket managment bodies in Pakistan as PCB since the last few weeks just looking like a managment of local cricket club. Peoples are resigining both from management and from the cricket team as well. I think eveyone thin about himslef rather than for Pakistan dignity. Just Join the PCB management remain there to fill your pockets and make a deceision of your own choice like nepotisim and when pokcet is out to fill out then resigned from your job. Same deliema is faced in our Pakistan cricket tema, Unfortunately we did not have a backup of players for every position in the team so we have to faced the choices and acceptance of players rather than to kick out him form the team due to his deeds and actions. In short I am reallllllly dishearted from the PCB and cricket team where regulary given a chance to player who even can't imagine to perforom in dream and again and again selected for team like our dear Faisal Iqbal great middle order batsman an inconsistant performer. And most of good batsman are punished due to their performance like Yasir Hameed. Nobody give attenttion to built a permanant assest for a team in the shape of good player but just favours their choices for every tour. I am really sick off from PCB and Team Performance where we are cricket playing country and this is our hard luck our board is still incapable of found the good openers for the team since the last 9 years. Then why this PCB is running and why incurring too much cost on its management either due to fill out their pocket or for giving a chance to them to favour for his own choice. I didn't wanted to use bad words for the PCB. U can understand what i have a feeling for the PCB. Waseem

In this entire game of musical chairs Younis Khan has only turned the heat on himself by first stepping down as captian and then accepting it once the PCB chief resigned. He will really have no place to hide if Pakistan fail to do well in the Champions trophy.

Pakistan being Pakistan however may still do well in the Champions Trophy. A fight within the team seems to bring the best out of them on the field.

At the end of the day, I would say that this is still a sad way of doing things in oen of the worlds' foremost cricketing nations.

Obviously Younis should have behaved ina more matured manner. Inzamam is too great a player to be treated like YOUNIS behaved. In any case Izamam is likely to throw in his towel after the World Cup.....Couldn't Younis wait for few more months? It was for Younis ( none else)to take the reins of Captaincy. Younis has shown that he is ungrateful. On Nasim Ashraf....Mr. Abbasi! do you think it is less of a qualification these days to be a pal of the ruling President Musharaf. Perhaps this is the only qualification you need these days.....just look around and count the heads of various departments and corporations. So do not bother.

The basic problem is thr in root. We guys are inherited to do this kind of act, we dont have patience and also over ambitious. For god's sake stop all these kiddish act and behave like a mature man, be fair to everyone. Inzmam is there, thn why he is worried in being a dummy captain? matter of one series ..take it easy mate...

this act is flowing from president mushrf to younius khan

I am a great supporter of pakistan team though I am an Indian. After India its pakistan I support most.I support them because I like there aggressive betting and bowling styles. They are also immensely talented bunch of crickters. Pakistan is the team which can give Australias run for there money but it's realy disheartning to see pak players doing what YK did.

Pak players keeps on fighting with themselves. If pak players start putting there team first,they will become very tough and unbeatable.

Finally pakistani people have a place to write their comments about their team. What Younis Khan did was totally insane and he wasnt thinking about what he was doing when he came on national TV and announced his resignation and putting his team on a preasure before the big event such as champions trophy. Lets just hope and pray that our team doesnt go through that preasure during the series and wins a trophy for their ountry.

Younis Khan did an error, like every one of us can do, by deciding to resign from captancy the way he did. I dont think this disolves all he has done for Pakistan cricket before. By declaring him selfish we are being unfair to him. I believe he would make an excelent captain given the confidance of board, his coach and all the team. I also salute Muhammed Yousuf, who in all fairness accepted the decision, first for his appointment as captain and second for his appointment as vice captain. Pakistan team is now in India, they need support of all the nation.

for once i do not feel ashamed of being a pakistani due to what Y khan did and feel sorry for the guys who feel such way as per the following responses cos there is more to being a pakistani than just getting hurt to a cricket fiasco. i think we are used to such nonsenses since ages, be it cricket or politics. Shahryar's unprofessional handling of oval controversy and Y khan's immature over reaction shows very well that what kind of confused mindsets we have. Our dear chairman did not have any idea whatsoever about how to handle a controversy and our promising captain talent Y khan showed the most childish street cricket attitude to prove his point. Couldnt believe the television clip in which mr. woolmer is shown talking to Y khan during press conference trying to persuade him to not to go for resignation. i wont be surprised if we see inzi not playing anymore cricket, woolmer resigning, Y khan/inzi battle of words etc. also i believe that big guns have decided to finish mullah-ism (enlightened moderation) from cricket so i dont see inzi playing cricket for pakistan any longer.

Younis Khan has only shown his hitherto unheard of manipulative instincts.Thanks to people like him,Pakistan team once again stands riven along several fault lines,with each senior player boasting of a pressure group of his own.

While Imran farhat,Kamran akmal,and other youngsters group around Younis., Inzy has the support of Abdul Razzak,Yousuf,and shahid Afridi.

I do see any reason for Mr. Tanveer mehmood comparing our present set of team with the one of 2003. The 2003 team was in a total chaos with different parties. Although this is a much better team in terms of unity but what i cannot understand is why the hell are Yousuf and Malik not willing to play under Younis.There must be a reason for that which is unknown to people like me.If God forbids,situation remains the same, i fear we are going to undergo the pain of WC 2003 once again !

Everybody in Pakistan has seen and heard whatever has happened withinn Pakistan cricket setup in the last few days. Its very sad and demoralising for the whole nation. Younis Khan showed his inner self and the insecure feeling he already has within the team. I personally think that his appointment as captain is not gonna prove successful, atleast not in the champions trophy. Key players like Shoaib Akhtar, Razzaq, Afridi and Shoaib Malik who have been performing on the ODI stage since long are not gonna welcome Younis as their leader in the way he is being imposed upon them.

I am going to repeat the same thing which most of us have already mentioned. Just because I feel it is important to recognise that how many of us did not like what younas did few days ago. In one way it is good that now we will not put our hopes up about him as we used to, I used to grade Younis very high but now he is same as any other self centred and selfish person.

Let me congratulate you on this site.Judging by the response it is already very popular.

Pakistan Cricket has always had that exciting flavour and element of unpredictability which has made it one of the most feared and indeed respected teams in the world. And this has not happened recently but from very early on; I remember watching the great Zaheer Abbas, Miandad and ofcourse Imran Khan and later on the two W's and Inzamam in his young days amongst a host of other cricketers.

The point I make is that each team has a certain history and FLAVOUR behind it and is viewed with this in mind by the world at large. To be succesful it is important/ critical that all who are in a position of authority in that country's cricket board HARNESS this and make it a STRENGTH and not let it become a WEAKNESS.

Thus it was natural that Inzy who I might add is hugely respected in India and indeed the world for his character and God fearing nature, to get upset with the ridiculously high handed nature and later as proved ,unjustified actions, of the umpires that day at the Oval. What was important, was that having made some kind of token protest- deliberately taking the field a few minitues late or some such gesture he should have led his team onto the field. For this not happening I would lay the responsibilty sqaurely not just on the Captain and the team but also equally and more importantly on the support staff who work behind the scenes in the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Bear in mind that grave/troubling incidents have ocurred in the past but on no occasion has a game been forfeited! For this has been avoided by the respective Board's machinery springing in to action.Cricketers especially from the sub continent take the game very seriously and as such are very emotional about it, hence an emotionally charged response to a situation cannot be ruled out, however it is critical at this stage for the "behind the scenes" folks to rise to the situation and see that the best interests of the game and indeed the country are served.

Hence,the PCB now finds itself in a row with the ECB over the finacial implications of the forfeiture and at best it will be a very big head ache for them.

Obvioulsy, there have been some goings on in the Board, hence the shake up which followed.What is critical is that the authorities now review the lapses and ensure this doesn't happen in the future and also control the unpredicatble/ inflammable nature of some of the members: whether it is from the team or from the others in the Board but, as I said Pakistan enjoys that edge of fighting spirit on the field and this should not be lost in the bargain.

Having watched cricket for the last nearly 30 years I can tell you that Younis Khan has probably got the best body language on the field amongst all the players of all the teams in the world. As correctly pointed out in the blog he is very cheerful and most importantly positive. In him like Inzy, Pakistan has got a very big asset.Thus it was indeed shocking to see the way things panned out recently, for this to happen I am quite sure Younis would have had major issues . Obviously there was general dissatisfaction he had from before on certain things and this came to the fore. Once again the Board has been found wanting in not addressing these for I cannot beleive that Younis got up one fine day and decided that he will protest in this fashion his reinstatement proves my point.

However I am afraid once again, in my opinion the PCB defaulted, when Younis went public he showed disrespect to the Board (however justified he may or may not be in his reasons), he should have expressed his viewes behind closed doors and this rather unnecessary controversy close on the heals of the Oval affair could and should have been avoided.As such, the board should have definitely taken some sort of discplinary action against him in view of the above and asserted it's unauthority, I am afraid it is totally unacceptable to go public in this matter as Younis did and the board even if it was a token gesture in view of Younis' exemplary past record, it could have been light punishment,should have definitely acted accordingly.

Anyways, as is the nature of the people from our part of the world (and it is definitely a strength) we forget the past and look towards a bright future and as such that is the road Pakistan cricket is travelling on as of now and I think it is correct- we cannot undo the past so let's look at the future, positively and cheerfully.

Unlike some, I have no doubt that if Younis carries the team with him and everybody gives him the necessary support and commitment he, and Pakistan Cricket will have a good showing in the Champions Trophy for there is no lack of talent or ability in this team .

Anyone who says otherwise should remeber that in the not so distant past the only team to defeat Australia IN Australia in ODI's was Pakistan (please correct me if I am wrong! It was when both the W's were playing)

I wish Pakistan Cricket all the Best for the future.

Am sorry for this lenghty post and please excuse me if there is something incorrect that I have said.

Regards,

Nirbhay Singh.

I agree with the notion that no one is above criket. I wonder there must be something sininster that prompted YK to relinquish captaincy. I have no idea about the new guy, Nasim Ashraf. Nonetheless, Shaharyar Khan's ouster is the best thing to happen to Pak cricket since the series win over SriLanka. Mushy neither deserves to be in the team nor in any other capacity. The only captaincy option Pakistan has is YK. If he is ousted , there will be big captaincy crisis for Pakistan. The trouble makers like A. Razzak, Afridi and even Shoaib Malik should be handled with a heavy hand. Pakistan has a lot of talent but no use if the talent is replaced with politics.

Inzi has been the best influence in projecting a good Pakistan team as opposed to a group of individuals grouped to play. Sans a single incidence in canada, he has been a fantastic sportsman. Younis has already had his nemisis with the Afridi episode. I am not one bit surprised that Younis did whatever he did. It looked like with Inzi in the helm things were changing in Pakistan Cricket for the good, but, looks like somethings dont change...

i like your article. i am too very dissapointed with what is happening in pak cricket there is not enough discpline what pakistani players officials need to know is there is no one bigger than the team or the game. However i am a fan of younis too the decision he made was some what wrong but he must have had his reasons to it i am not condoning what he did.As for mushy i have nothing against him but when we already have a waqar younis as quality bowling coach why do we need mushy i just cannot understand, Who is he goin to Coach, Afridi is the only leg spinner in the team. i really hope Dr Nasim Ashraf does a good job and shows Discipline where its needed!!!

By any means I agree completely with your assertion of Mr. Younis Khan as being dumber then ever. But as you see it is like in his blood. If you dont follow my point then you may consider another example in the name of Mr. Afridi. Well then also Younis was childish, he hasn't been like this in the past. I have always consider Younis as a good stable batsman better then many players who were in the team at the time he was sitting out. If the problem is what you have mentioned here about being like the second in command he would have reacted sometime back. I think the whole issue is selectorial. We know in Pakistan selections are made on favouratism. The issue of Faisal Iqbal comes to mind being the nephew of Miandad, although he was ample of chances, yet he hasn't proven himself of being in the team. So If Younis thinks that he should not be in the team and some new guy be given a chance. He is not wrong. As someone said that captain is incharge of the team in the middle. I must ask my man that if a captain is not given the right troop to Marshall then how do you expect a team to win. First make your selection procedures crystal clear and fairer. I dont know why the selecters end up with Faisal Iqbal while there are many players in the pool who can be tested and given a chance. As for Mushi I think anybody related to Match Fixing does not deserve any place anywhere in cricket as they are a disgrace to the nation and to cricket. I am proud of what Inzamam did at the oval. He defended his integrity as a captain and as a Pakistani. If the same thing was done by an Englishman or an Australian. I am sure there would have been inquiries and mud slinging at the culprit umpire. So in my eye if cricket has to run with double standards then there is no need for such a game. Sportsmanship doesn't only apply to players, umpires should also be a part of it and should be punished as other players are.

man o man its like politician of asia involve in parliement for who want to be president . i agree with Younis comments of Dummy Captin as if he win a match its team win but if regular cap won its his personal briliance now who doent want personal pride .we all knew he is better attitude cap n after Zair comments on ovel row its over tht Inzi was some what guilty party for bringing his downfall. n i cant understand people doent imagine Pak team without inzi look aussi win 2003 without waughs n warne its time for new blood

well imran and hussein tipped younus as future Pakiatan captain, rather they were arguing that he should be captain of one day team right away. imran ill jugded things at two ocaisions. 1. backing Sami persistantly 2. jugding younus as captain. i am affraid pakistan will fall back on past tracks had younus become permanant captain. i think yousuf or razzaq can gel boys like inzamam rather well than energetic younus.

I feel both Inzamam and Younis Khan did what they thought was the right thing to do in the absence of clearly defined PCB policies to deal with such instances. I do not buy this for a second that Inzamam acted alone in making the decision to not proceed with the game. He could have walked out of the ground immediately if he had felt that strongly about what Daryl Hair had done. It is obvious that his thinking was affected by what transpired inside that dressing room during the Tea. Now, all the big wigs of the PCB were present in that dressing room and they could have sent the team on their way into the game while they sorted the matters out with ICC. But, they seemed at loss about what to do - you could see them wandering around with mobiles glued to their ears. They were obviously getting their orders from some higher authority - none other than, in this case, the General-President himself.

I am sure Musharraf, in his patriotic fit, told Inzamam to hold his ground in the name of the country and her honor. And poor Inzy, probably also pumped up by now from the presidential pomposity, acquiesced without giving much forethought to the consequences of his actions.

It is also conceivable that the whole team was probably not wholly behind Inzy and the Pres on this matter. Especially Younis, who has now all of a sudden found his voice on the eve of a major tournament? His subsequent re-appointment by none other than the President himself is an indication that the orders are coming right from the top. Poor Yousef - that will do wonders for his marale!

There are just too many unanswered questions. It would be wise for the PCB and President to devise a policy going forward that clearly states what actions would be taken in such events - and the stick to it. There should be absolutely no leniency towards those who break the rules. We rather lose the games rather than looking like damned amateur squabbling fools on the International stage.

Y.Khan should never ever captain again. His petulant behaviour was pathetic and childish. Its seems that we as a people and as a nation never learn from our mistakes!

How sad it is that people are so emotional/shocked about the actions of one person, just a crikcet captain. there are more important issues in life than "feeling ashamed of being a pakistani" for the actions of one person or "we will not watch pak games as afamily". with such immature fans, why do we expect our leaders to be any better. they come from us!

Kamran:

Of all the people, you being a journalist should understand that it's Younis' right to go to media if he is not heard behind the closed doors.

I think Younis would better be dumb than a dummy, and that too, if you think what he did was dumb!

You want to make Younis the captain for a competition second only to World Cup, you have to respect his opinion in selection. The burden of failure would fall on his shoulder and NOT on selection committe should Pakistan fail in Champions Trophy. Our board has a history of losing captains after failures. Look at what happened to Waqar Younis in WC 2003. The guy lost his career at the age of 33 while he was fully fit.

Oh well, Younis was arrogant and proud. Not that I would like to draw comparisons between Younis and Imran, but the same arrogance led us to World Cup victory once! Yousaf is a wonderful player but not a leader. He is too humble of a person to lead bunch of brats like Shoaib, Afridi, Malik and others!

I am an indian who rates Inzamam , Younus and Yosuf very high. YK who have the guts to take on such big wigs will definitely become a great captian.

But I hope PAK will allow inzy who is the greatest batsman equal or above Miandad, is not dumped as captain till World cup ends and he gets a graceful retirement . Unlike what we did to Ganguly.

Yusuf was really humilated . Hope he has the mental strength to carry on with his good form without getting distracted.

Bribery Scandal case should be dumped. Every western coutries protected its players. It is a quite weak case legally.Or players should be allowed to continue till proven guilty.

Thanks to mohammad yusuf for being victum 2nd time

I think its about time, we shut our criticism of YK. I think he behaved in a way which every person of self respect should have done. If you are a captain of one match or permanent one, you have a role to play...and you should not be a dummy one....The way he did it publicly puts more pressure on PCB and teach PCB a lesson for future

I was deeply disappointed by the actions of Younis Khan. However, I am happy that he has been reinstated as Pakistan captain. I believe he must have valid reasons for initially behaving the way he did. It has been widely speculated that there is a powerful group in the team which did not want Younis as captain, and that group perhaps is leaded by Abdul Razzaq. What a shame? The person who is a third class Test player, to say the least, harbours ambitions to be a captain of Pakistan. Pathetic! Had I been a selector I would have shown the doors to Mr. Abdul Razzaq a long time ago as far as Test cricket is concerned. Now I know he has been consistently playing due to his close association with Inzy even though he has only performed rarely [2/3 times] in the last 3/4 years. Ask any Australian cricket analyst about the talent of Abdul Razzaq as Test player and he would be doubting that you're in your senses, or perhaps Shane Warne should be asked this question!

About Younis Khan not having deserved a place in ODI: this is absolutely silly. But then I can imagine the psyche of people for whom Shahid Afridi is a great player. If the player who treats the value of his wicket nothing more than a cigarrette' butt is a great player, then no doubt Younis who is not in this class does not deserve to be in ODI.

Sab batoon ki aik baat. PCB is running without a constitution and on adhoc basis. This was bound to happen. PCB does not show respect for the players and in return niether do players. What younis did was over reaction, yes reaction to what was done to him. He worked his way up from zero to being hero and even that against all odds (team politics, regional politics and senior player politics ). I blv whatever happened has happened and let us revive the constitution and have elected not selected PCB members who would have genuine respect instead or auhoritarian respect. In the end this is Pakistan, we can survive anything as a country, cricket will be winner again because we love cricket.

As I have always maintained, and someone said so in a new article recently, Pakistani sport, be it hockey, cricket, squash whatever. Is a microcosm of Pakistani society. Illiterate, volatile, disorganized, but punching above its weight simply due some natural ability.

The YK episode is simple to explain. First time officially appointed for an entire high profile tournament, he probably felt a bit vulnerable, especially given his history with guys like Afridi, Razzak, Akhtar etc. The appointment of Mushtaq was really an unneccessary distraction. If you know anything about man management you should know that you don't put a new guy incharge and force him to work with one of the old guys men. It just does not work, not in cricket, not in any organization. Throw on top of this that when the guy wants to have a chat to have some of his insecurities ironed out his is made to wait by the Chairmen. Which only added to those insecurities.

Now I am not justifying YK's actions, what he did was stupid and the ramifications will be deep. But I think this situation could have been handled a bit better if the administration had some administrative capability! Which brings me to my last point. What qualifications does a Medical Dr. have to administer a professional organization. Has he been a CEO or MD at a Hospital before. I agree with his own words. Leave the cricket to the cricketers and leave the administering to the administrators. We have the cricketers, now only if we had some professional administrators, instead of medical doctors, or generals or diplomats!!

I would strongly agree with you and say that Younus khan has shown an immature attitude while refusing for temporary captaincy. It clears one thing that he is only interested in long term captaincy by stepping down Inzi. Why Paki players are so selfish? Why they do not think about the image of our country. We should behave now as a matured and civilized nation. We have lack of professionalism nothing else. It is fact that the Pakistan Cricket board is always run by the rulers not by professionals. We should treat cricket as an industry now, which is producing huge funds for the nation. The PCB responsibilities should be given to professionals not to rulers at all.

Mr.Younis Khan should be drop from the team for the ICC games.He show no respect for his team mate`s and his country.The turmoil in Pakistan cricket is all because the PCB is run by a set of dummy politicians.Cricket not only in Pakistan but all around the world should at all time`s run by professionals who understands the game.

You can blame Younis when everything is going according to procedures. When the board itself runs on ad hoc basis how can they demand or expect players to follow the proper procedures.

Younis Khan, he is useless may I say! no more useful for Pakistani team. He is dual natured person. In one hand saying "I do not need captaincy" but on the other hand "I can, when coming back from the closed-room meeting with newly appointed chairman".

I agree with the writer. All is not well with Pakistan cricket. On the outset, it looks as Younis Khan ashamed himself and Pakistan. But we can only take a guess and we may never know what his intentions were. If he wants to bring a radical change in Pakistan Cricket then he is out there to fight too many people. He would have to start with his own team-mates, then proceed to root out well known corruption in our board and simulteniously shut out nonsense comments from former cricketers. He has a hell of job on his hands. To bring about change in perceptions, work ethic and positive intensity; he might have to strive very hard. As a nation, we are not very good at these points and the cricketers are from among us. Lack of education might not help him a lot but maybe he can cover it up with experience. His roots can be traced back to Rashid Latif. And we all know how fair, forthright and disciplined cricketer he was. If this is something to take any hint from, then we are in for good in all this. Right from childhood we are advised to look at the positive side of the picture. In that aspect this controversy may be a sign of good things to come. But as a nation we are tired of looking at the positive note. Let's pray, Younis Khan can change our general perception of things. I happened to watch three or four shows hosted by Wasim Akram on a satellite channel. Former cricketers were not shy to express their lack of satisfaction on the working of the board. There narrations told no happy incident of the working of the board. There is no smoke without any fire. A board chairman handpicked by a dictator is bound to be controversial and not that transparent. The experience with hand picked head of departments, including cricket, in this dictator's era has not been too good rather disastrous in most cases. If the water is not clean, you are bound to get sick. Similarly, if the cricketing system and cricket board is not transparent and good, your team is bound to fail. No matter how much we criticize individuals, we will get nowhere. We are not adressing the root cause and are insanely playing with the symptoms; hoping that everything will get right. Every now and then, we need a scandale to satisfy our exciting nature. And they are happy to provide us with one at every crucial juncture. All this just to keep us from questioning the root cause. So it's not Younis Khan but it's the cricket board which needs overhauling. If not done, there are other Younis khans waiting in the wings to humiliate you. Though this blog is a nice forum bro!

Well the way Mr Younis Khan behaved, he certainly disgraced the whole nation, such a person should have been sacked rather than Mr Sheryar or Mr Mushtaq Ahmed. There is always an element of dictorship in Pakistan, either it is in Pakistan Cricket or it is in country politics. There is an history of favortism in team in Pakistan Cricket. Mr Younis gave an impression of a illiterate sports man, who doesnt have respect for his country niether for his team mates. If PCB is backing up such an arrogant man, then what kind of an impression we are leaving for our youngsters. I really felt bad for Mr Yousaf (what the PCB is doing with him), who has the only true batsman in the team after Inzi.

YK Track Record:

2003 WC: Fights Inzi, calls him 'Fat', hardly respect to your 1992 WC Hero, Ay Younis.

2005 in W.I: Fights Shahid Afridi, showing favouritism and protecting Yasir Hameed from going out to open (when he was opener).

2006: Quits Captaincy in 'Honor' inline with all his stupidity that has marred PAK, and the 'Dictator' reinstates him.

Future is BLEAK for YK:

I can see that Shoaib Akhtar who is the rightful captain in my opinion not lasting too long with him.

Inzi made a NO-NAME team into World-Beaters, and Younis will do the exact reverse.

Every body is talking about Younis Khan. It is right to say that, they way he took this issue in media and public is wrong, but can anybody tell me or would like to know "WHY" he adoppted this way, what made him to do this act of foolishness, and if Sheryar Khan was right on then why he stepped down. Though Sherhyar Khan had pressure in the past from the media and public to step down but he refused boldly.

I really liked Younis Khan until this nonsense. Its not only dumb its disgraceful. Whats wrong with being a captain on the daily basis ??? It was obvious that Inzi could not play and Pak team needed someone to fill in for him. Younis should be proud that out the rest of the Pakistani population he was choosen as next in line to lead Pakistan he should have lead the team, instead he choose to redicule the whole Pakistan team and Inzi by saying he dose'nt want to be a dummy captain ??? what dose that mean he wants to be a captain for good ?? He wants to be a captain while Inzi is still around ??? Its all or nothing for him He dose not care if the team needed him he wants to push his own agenda. What he has done is showed a lack of character and tried to prove his worth by putting more pressure on the team when it needed him. He seems to be a man of the team not a man for the team. In my books Younis should never captain Pakistan again cause if you are not there for your country you don't deserve to be there at all. All politics aside it is the top job in Pakistan cricket and when it is offered to you it should be a privilage and an honour by rejecting it you reject your whole team and your country. If Younis had some issues he should prove his point on the field by doing all he can and let the fans be the judge. After all he is no politician he is a cricketer and he should prove his worth where he can on the cricket field not in political games.

Hello Kamran Abbasi: I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your views - they are objective and non-partisan. Guys like you and Sambit Bal make cricket columns interesting by really providing an Asian but balanced view.

Suresh Kumar Bombay

Dear Kamran,

One hand we are big pros of democracy and on other hand we stop the people to use their democratic rights .Whatever has happened is not good off course but now leave this bitter discussion and give your full support to Yunis and Co to play well in the game for Pakistan.Thanks

Tariq Javed/ Vietnam

Just cant wait to read Bob Woolmer's book which will come out hmmmm....around mid summer next year.

The material for his book is getting jucier by the month.

I believe that Younis khan did the right thing that he dont want to be a Dummy Captain. Look at his history what happened in WestIndies Test series they end up in physical fighting and the reason is some players dont want to play under his captaincy. When you nominate a Captain you have to let him aware the players of selection of comming series and have to ask his opinion and point of view strategies ? Imran Khan one time quit the Captaincy too because of ongoing issues with PCB board and the players selection. It must be some valid reason that had happened to him and hurt his feelings. Younis khan is the right person to choose vc in first place and then may be inshallah he will be Captain after Worldcup 2007. he has the wills, fighting spirit, well communication, better fielding tactics strategies and i think no one have it. The bottom line is Players must obey his orders.

The worst thing about Pakistan cricket is the politics involved. I don't think Younis Khan acted completely of his own accord... I'm prepared to bet that ex-players and other influential people egged him to not be a "dummy captain." He definately had my complete support before this dilemma. I still support him... he's a natural leader, but I'm beginning to doubt his temperment. I really hope this controversy doesn't effect the team's morale, or his own form. By the way, this little blog is a very good idea.

Yet again Pak cricket is in total disarray.I wonder why we take the honors time and again.Younis Khan should have not been allowed to resume captaincy after discarding it as if it were his birth right.Pak cricket needs to be run with a iron hand both in management and captaincy to extinguish the sense of royalty most of our players possess.Inzi and the PCB by supporting him made a disaster at the Oval by refusing to play.I really dont know how to make these blokes realize what it means to represent a country.This champions trophy and the world cup are from the reach of this unprofessional and rogue unit.

First of all, I dont think there is anything wrong in the appointment of the latest PCB Chairman. Shahryar Khan did not have any experience prior to spearheading PCB and from what we saw, the Pakistani team performed quite well under his supervision. Does anyone recall the last time Pakistan lost a test match before losing in England? I doubt it. Lets give Dr. Ashraf a chance as well. Besides, you do not need to be a cricketer to run the PCB. Even in other major sports (i.e Major League Baseball) General Managers and other top posts are not held by 'ex cricketers'.

Second, what Younis did was quite stupid on his part. Our players spend no time in forgetting that PCB is the same board that allowed them the platform to become super stars in their countries. If anything, they should be in debt to PCB for their lives, I know I would be. As a captain or a player, my job would be to perform whatever duties Im given on the field. If Im told to sport the Captains badge, you take that as a part of your job on the field. Off the field, there is no need to run into these politics. But from my personal experiences in Pakistan and government organisation, it is sometimes awfully difficult to not become part of a political mess. May God help the PCB.

i think most of you are not givin Youins Khan a fair go. If u were told u were to captain a team for an entire team you would expect to have some input into which players the team will field. obviously Younis felt stongly about the inclusion of Fasil Iqbal in place of inzamam. Has anyone thought just maybe he felt stongly because he knew inzamam would not be allowed to play if he was substituted? do not judge before the whole story has been told!!!

I am not surprised by another sickening and shameful display of levity, adamancy and ignorance by everyone involved. I think the core problem lies in not being able to comprehend the gravity of the situation and take decisions in haste where the only factor which is considered meaningful is player's own personal interest and it will keep happening unless we keep letting ignorant players and officials to run the business for us.Majority of the players have not even completed their Higher Secondary Education yet and they are representing country.How we are going to develop a thinking process and an atmosphere of handling issues wisely and in national interest.

Finally some real turmoil in pakistani cricket. I thought it had alll disappeared but unfortunately it has reared its ugly head once again. younis khan should never have been named vc in the first place. mohd. yousuf is an excellent player and through all the chaos he has shown his quality as a person. not so much can be said for sharyar khan when he shud have resigned after the champions trophy. younis who shud have shut his mouth and done his job rather than think of himself as the new imran khan. last but not least nasim ashraf shud stick to nhd and musharraf shud stick to authoring books and daily show appearances.

I must admit, this whole thing is pretty funny. I cant agree more to the fact that pakistan cricket is profoundly run by politicians instead of professionals. Mind you, politicians are not professionals in pakistan. The players are innocent, what we need is an overhaul of the Board of Control for Cricket in pakistan. I recommend bringing in a foreign director of PCB. Maybe we should get imran khan to run the board, the man is well educated, understands the system and the game. We really dont have anyone else.

The Captaincy of your team is priceless, no matter it it is a village team or your country, to even be offered the honour for one game is a sign of respect and value the team places on you.

To say "I dont want to be a Dummy captain" shows distain and lack of respect for you fellow team members, and also a lack of respect for yourself.

if this is the type of player that the PCB wants to lead it up and coming junior players to show them the way, then pakistan is in for a long demoralising year

Younis has not done anything different from rest of the Pakistan. This represents true Pakistani culture. That is how whole Pakistan works starting from a street to President of Pakistan. This time Younis had more support from Presidential Palace therefore Sheharyar lost it. Anyways Let us accept him like another PCO.

i think x president of cricket board Mr S Khan should not had resinded because of younis khan and oval incident.if u take oval incident ithink we won that battle and we must feel proud that once again we are clear of ball tempring elligations.i think younis khan black mail all nation and pakistan cricket board by giving resing from captancy at that time when he knew inzi was not there and pakistan need him and he knew board had no other strong canditate to replace inzi then him because he was vice captain for almost last one and a half year and he also stood as a captain in absence of inzi in two tests and two one dayers.i think uufortunately our board was never strong.when ever they start moving in write path some thing happen. i want to request general pervaiz musharaf (pateron of cricket board)to concentrate in country politics and stop using his influences in cricket by appointing his as call friends who had no experience in cricket as our new chairman cricket boadr MR UNKNOWN.i want to ask general pervaiz mushraf that if i was friend of your do you give me desigation of general?so please please if u are sinciere with pakistan cricket then oppoint a perfect man in board there are lot who are not your friends but legeble of that job.may god bless pakistan and its nation .

i think what has happened has already happened, and because of the protest, inzi is already facing too much (although i would have liked him to be captain).

younis khan should stay captain until he can, because inzi will retire after the world cup (which isn't really that good, he should as much as he can). younis khan also should know, that what he does will effect the team, like his resignition made shahrayar khan retire,

and to think shahrayar khan brought woolmer, and woolmer brought asif

It was a very good decision by the great Younis Khan. He is the only player in the current team who deserves to be the captain. He's a complete Captian material - fighter, teamman someone who never gives up. Pakistan has been winning in the past and Younis has been a great revelation as well. InshAllah we will see Pakistan doing very well under his captaincy. As far as Yousuf and Razaq are concerned both of them have the worst tempreament- they react very slow to things.

Nice to see things back to normal again...does remind me of the good old days of Imran/Javed, Waseem/Waqar, ball tempering, match-fixing, days of yesteryear...After 2 years of aberration, its finally back to normal...

It was actually a bane that everything came to light so soon after the oval fiasco...now we know that Pak cricket was held together by little more than a thread...at least our expectations will be more realistic from now on...

Younis was pretty stupid and I wonder how he will be able to command respect from the team esp Youhana and some of the other senior guys

It appears everytime a group of players play a significant amount of time together they start getting involved in team politics, this certainly has been the case in the past and now that this group of players is pretty much settled it would appear its happening again.

Even Imran Khan wasnt able to break these cliques or change their behaviour but he was able to control them, perhaps his aloofness meant that he wasn't part of any the groups and therefore it was easier for him to control the players

Before going on to criticise what Younis did (which was definitely absolutely dumb of him), we have to see the reason why Inzy gets so much respect from other players. Apart from his cool headedness and calm nature, it's the 'Seniority' factor which forces others in the team to respect him. May be b'cuz it's the part of our culture (follow the Seniors). After Inzy, the only choice remains, is ofcourse Yousuf. Younis is still too immature to be given this job. Don't go too much back in past, it's only 1 year back when the Same Mr. Khan claimed at a Press Conference that "we have lost against West Indies b'cuz of Shahid Afridi". A person with this kind of attitude should not only be demoted from the Skippership, but also be penalised for his actions that have badle damaged the image of Pakistan Cricket.

I think khan's decision to resign as captain was foolish and you cannot expect such sort of behaviour from an international team member.He should have been punished by keeping him out for at least icc champion trophy rather then appionting him again captain,this will encourage other team members to do such sort of things.Other thing is reignation of mr Sheryar khan is wrong at this point.I am sure this is same sort of politics in team as it was part of pakistan team when akram and waqar was playing and i see future of team as dark .They cannot play as a team now ,there would be grouping from now onwards.

I WAS the biggest supporter of Younis Khan since early days. I even knew he was the future captain of Pakistan before the 2003 World Cup disaster. But what he did last week is making me think twice about supporting him. You, especially if you are a captain, never leave your team hanging like that, that too publicily. Its the captains job to hang in there and resolve the situation when going gets tough. I am sorry but Younis acted like a cry baby and he needs more than an apology to get away from this. He really needs to lead right from the front and bring this Champions Trophy home to win some hearts.

Isn't that what Pakistan team is all about? "I am in control so i could get to hire or fire, and you can't do a thing".

Let's see how successful Younis Khan is, in champions trophy. Because if he is not atleast individually successful, he SHOULD be embarassed.

Very nice article indeed!

Being a Pakistani supporter; I would like to see Younis Khan captaining a Pakistani side because of his energetic skills on and off the field including his true leadership. Pakistan needs the captain like Younis Khan who can do anything at any time when he's on fire.

So far from his attitude, from the way he acts and reacts, what I believe is that Pakistan has got another Imran Khan.

About Shahryar Khan; I guess he was too aged to be on that spot. You need someone energetic with young but mature and sharp brain to be on that spot.

About Mushtaq Ahmed; I really have no idea what makes PCB to bring in Mushtaq Ahmed as an Assistant Coach.

I wish all the best to the Pakistani Team for ICC Champions Trophy!

Mohammad Yousuf should be captian. Pakistan need a strong squad if they want to win the Champions Trophy. Shoaib Akthar And Shahid Afridi should play as hard as they can

I think Younis Khan's behaviour should not be questioned immediately. As far as I know, from the articles on Cricinfo, a single reason has not been pointed on Younis's resignation. With regards to his captaincy, I personally think he has shown in the past that he is an active, thinking and motivating leader. Champions trophy certainly gives him an chance to prove his worth.

His sudden improvement with the bat further strenghthens his position as a leader. I personally think that due to the presence of a lot of senior players in the team (S Afridi, M Yusuf, A Razzaq, S Akhtar), uncomfortness/disrespect may be an issue with Younis Khan being the captain and that had probably led him to say "I don't want to be a dummy captain.." What Pakistan Cricket (PCB) should do, in addition to the removal of "politics" withing the board, is make sure that discipline is maintained at the highest level no matter who the captain is!

Nothing can justify what Younis did. But I feel a cold reaction from some a 3-4 senior players and his "extended" wait outside the chairman's office, made him felt that he was a dummy who would not be given the respect a captain should get. He, still, was wrong.

Overall, though, it is not dissappointing t osee Shaharyar go. While diplomatically astute, the man had little knowledge of the game and his handling of issues was inept. But he did bring stability and I just hope we haven't gone back to the tumultous times again where players and officials would come and go like the rush-hour trains.

What Younis did was pretty stupid, he left the captains post and now he is back being the dummy cpatain as he called it or maybe he played it well and got rid of Mushy&Inzi who knows if Inzi will be back if Pak puts up a good show. I just think Younis was very jumpy to get into the captains chair, knowing Pak you don't know how long that may last. Its always fun to hear about the musical chairs they play, it almost like club cricket is in India

I have been reading alot of negative stuff relating to Younis KHAN. At the end of the day it is not clear what happened behind the scene so therefore the critisism is unjustified. People forget that he is a die hard pakistani who has always delivered when need be. He got alot of stick from Amir Sohail when he was a selector and he clearly critisied Younis on live tv. I think the whole issue is a mess ans the board must take some if not all the blame! What went on behind the scene god knows. Lets for once and forall ditch the foolish politics and support Younis, he deserves this chance

Being a vivid fan of the Pakistani cricket team it was indeed a nightmare to see the entire setup into complete doldrums. The uncanny attitude of Younis Khan does not make much of a sense here. Did he get carried away by the scintillating aura created by the pundits of the game on his sharp moves on the field, is a question to look at. I have been a great supporter of his game but what left me bamboozled here was his erratic decision to forego the honor of leading the team on an apparently trivial issue??? Inconsistency, whether that be in the teams performance or in the decision making of the board has left many of us aghast at innumerable stages. Irrespective of that the world has talked about the immense depth the team possess and the capability they have. What remains to be seen is whether the team in the midst of such drama can live upto the expectations or not.

younis, does not deserve to be captain. I say, this is a prime example of imran khan's influence on the pcb

What else there to be said that once more Pakistan is in the news for all the wrong reasons. The board is not strong enough to even back the captain when he takes a stand and that pretty much says it all for player selection policy and internal harmony. Younis Khan has probably shot himself in the foot even before he stepped on the field as captain, so much for being primed for a job, bravo.

Player's in pakistan are innocent,it's the KING MAKER"S like Asif Iqbal,Javed Miandad & the selectors who play a game in their favour in order to keep the jobs and let the rookies come into the pictures,so they can advise them according to their needs. This thing will never go away from the politics of pakistan cricket.If you can keep these people away from the scene you will see a fantastic good change in the pakistan cricket.

Younis Khan is a wrong choice for the captain. i saw what happended in WI. Also in 2003 world cup in SA i remember Inzi hitting him during a football trainign session. He has ahabit of irretating people. He is no Imran or Wasim

Kamran Bhai, I am afraid you are right. When you are feeling good about the team right then they blow up on your face. I have also felt very confident in Younis Khan and then this childish tantrum really throw me out of the loop. My only worries are what the best Pakistani Batsman MD. YOUSUF think of all these and would the captaincy fiasco(today he is the captain and tomorrow he is not)mess up Md Yousuf's ego and head. If so, That will be a SAD day for Pakistan Cricket.Right now Pakistan needs his experience batting and advise to the younger players. The champions Trophy will tell Younis Khan's success or demise!!!!!!!!!!!!

Old Kamran Abbasi is back. And I, along with many of my colleagues (ex-first class cricketers) are more than happy to see you not being one of the main editors anymore at the Cricinfo and the reason is obvious. You speak more than you think (i.e Osman Samiuddin is one to mention), and just like many without understanding the actual situation, you have labelled the actions of YK as "dumb". Had he been completely wrong, we all know that he would have been yet included in the team for the ICC CT but would have kept as the "water boy". When the truth was released to the Patron in chief of the PCB, the over night changes were made and now we all know that who is "in" and who actually got "fried". Sad to see that it was most-loved Mr. Shehrayer Khan (I am "humble" enough to respect and recognise his achievements and all due credit for his excellent work through out), was the one to "resign" (not sure whether he resigned by choice or was asked to resign). But now we have a new a new Chairman. DR. Naseem Ashraf!!! Ofcourse he is a good friend of the President, and who isnt in such senior Governmental positions? Tell me one! We all know that Mr. Shehrayer Khan is equally respected and close to the President. As far as, Great Mushy is concerned, I am equally hurt and disappointed with his release and would love to know the reasons for that myself. I am confident that it has nothing to do with YK at all and your claim that "Is everyone that Inzy likes out, and everyone that Younis likes in? That's the kind of nonsense Pakistan cricket needs to get away from." How sad that you didnt even notice that one of reasons that triggered YK resignation was giving a player that he wished not to be included in the Squad, since in his views he had better options (and rightfully.....Asim Kamal or Misbah). So in other words, according to you; one day the person, who doesnt even have the authority to have the squad of his choice, the next day seems to be influential in selecting / releasing the senior management. Now that is a cheer nonsense!!!! We all know that when you work hard to get to a position, without much of political influence then you have to have self-respect and integrity to stand up for your right. Saleem Altaf is claiming that "YK made the decision without their consultation". Guess why YK went to the highest Authority, the Chairman a night before, where he was kept waiting for over an hour....to say "hi"?? I dont think so....he went there to address certain concerns. Lack of cooperation, indicated the appointed captain that he is not heartily welcomed...so where else he would have gone? Media was the ONLY option he had. What YK did was definately an unsual act, but now we all know that there is something that is yet to be disclosed. Lets pray for the best and we hope to see some good cricket from the Pakistani Team. We believe that YK so far has handled the media extremely well since their arrival in India and seems much calm. Good luck with your Blog. I am already noticing the great response you are recieving....ONE!.

Personally i think Mohammed Yousaf would have made the better captain. It was completely wrong to give the job to Yousaf and then take it back of him within a matter of hours. This kind of shambolic decision making seems to happen far to often from the Pakistan team. Mushtaq Ahmed should not be coaching the team, he should be playing, after taking over 100 wickets in the short English county season he showed he still has what it takes. I dont think Inzamam's form will be the same again after he returns after the ICC Trophy. With this break from playing and with whats gone on it might be the beginning of the end for the Pakistan Great.

I expect the team under Younis Khan will perform better than it would have under Inzamam ul Haq. Inzamam was not playing well lately. So,his removal will be of advantage. I think Pakistan now has a better balanced side, good at batting and pace, although they lag behind in spin. I also hope they improve their fielding.

I am quite excited about them when they play in the Championship Trophy in India. I predict they will reach the finals.

One would think cricketers like Younis Khan, who about same time next year should be the first choice captian, would be wise enough not to wash their dirty linen in public and resolve all disputes with management amicably.

I disagree with Kamran here. What Younis Khan didn't was not dumb dumb dumb at all. It was the dumbest behaviour ever which would embarrass a primary school kid.

i think it is very stupid if PCB and Younis Khan have been thinking that everyone who likes or is liked by Inzi shud get out of the squad/management. The reason is simple, Younis Khan has only been appointed captain for the ongoing Champion's Trophy while Inzi will still be the captain of Pakistan until the world cup next year. Anyway, as a captain (and the board) you should only think about what is best for the team and not for an individual..be it the captain or the coach or any other third person!

It is quite apparent that Younis Khan is trying to follow in the footsteps of Imran Khan. The order of events has a very similair feel to what happened in the 80's when Imran Khans main aspirations were to get the captaincy on his own terms. And we also know in hindsight that it resulted in the Imran/ Miandad conflict. I dont have a problem with Younis Khan wanting the captaincy on his own terms but it is important to note that Younis Khan is not exactly skilled as Imran Khan nor can he lead from the front as him. My point is this that as long as the team is united, Younis khan can be a good captain because he is a good motivator. But with different factions forming, i can promise you there will be a lot of egos flying around and further tubulent times in the wacky mysterious world of Pakistan cricket.

He is a fighter by nature, but right now he has been misadvised. I thought he had matured enough to take right decisions and I had started liking his captaincy - but here he comes showing the same Pakistani cricket nature which had been hidden somewhere the last couple of years. If he intends to captain Team Pakistan, then he should settle down, the captaincy is his - but after the World Cup - until then its Inzy; who made the right decision at Oval and I am proud of him.

The recent captaincy crisis that evolved over the past week has confirmed one of my innermost fears - the apparently smooth transition plan in place for the Post-Inzy era may prove to be a false mirage after all. Inzy's retirement will most definitely lead to an era of usual confusion and anarchy which may ultimatley rob Pakistan of many of its most brightest talents as has happened so often in the past e.g. Waqar's forced absence from the game in the late 90's on account of his fallout with Wasim - While Inzy may not be the most tactically astute captain that pakistan has ever had - he is certainly the best choice to lead the team until he retires. Miandad was definitely a shrewd cricketer but never made it as a Leader of men. I fear Younis Khan may be treading a similar path here.....

Younis Khan the Great.The great man insults all the pakistani nation in front of all the world by refusing to captain Pakistani cricket team.What we do in return,force the only honest and nice person in recent history of pakistani cricket to throw the towel himself,again appoint Younis the captain,dump the poor Muhammad Yousaf.Younis Khan is great,But Dr.Naseem is greatest.Good start DOC.We now know where u intend to take Pakistani cricket.Younis and Naseem,the great and the greatest.

The only thing that has made any sense during the past few days has been the sacking of Mushtaq Ahmed. When there is a full time coach in Bob Woolmer and a bowling coach in Waqar Younis, I fail to understand what Mushy's role would have been. In an interview with the BBC, Mushtaq Ahmed himself seemed to offer little more than saying that he would help with man management and giving the players confidence. And then there was the howler, "I can look after them when they get dehydrated". Hardly the stuff of an assistant bowling coach.

I say younis khan was emotional. he will take time to understand pakistani politics.

In 90s inzi was offered captinacy several times, he refused. The reason simple, he did not wanted to be hated or dropped out cuz of ditry politics. He took captinacy of a team where no one could challenge him.

Unfortunately younis is in same situation wasim akram was in 93. wasim was made captain of a team which had miandad and salim malik under him. Yousaf, Akhtar, Razzaq and Afridi all made debuts around 96-97 and are abt the same age as well. Younis is few yrs younger and made debut in 99. So they feel if any 1 should be captain it should be among them, not younis.

Younis Khan is comparable to a family member who is a liability. He rarely clicks in the one day game, and even when he does it's against opponents that offer little resistence. He eats the public money, and he sleeps and lives on public expense, just like a family member who does nothing but leaches off of his/her relatives. His stats don't support him being in the team in the first place, let alone being the captain of the team. I think the board should get rid of him as soon as possible to save some public money, and let some other players emerge. i.e. Asim Kamal. Thanks

Fry, certainly. You cannot build palaces in graveyards!!!

First post!

Younis' behaviour has been hugely disappointing. He should not be allowed off the hook for this and since Dr. Ashraf isn't particularly keen, I hope a hard-hitting journalist (hint, hint) sits him down and asks him to explain himself.

BTW, it's about time the PCB imported a management specialist: gagging employees is standard practice the world over and it'd be a welcome policy. A professional media manager would be an excellent addition too, and would hopefully prevent the President disgracing himself by squirming in front of the media and waxing incoherently about Damocles' sword. I'm pleased to see we're finally going to have paid (read: professional, hopefully) selectors soon -- that's definitely a step in the right direction.

I disagree with the dramatic decision making being wrong for pakistan cricket. In a country where every other individual is bent, a high handed attitude such that a dictator like head can provide is possibly the best thing we can hope for ..

i think younis khan needed a kick on his butt for doing what he did!!even ifhe had some issues with the board,the way he handled himself was nothing short of madness....He deserved to be dropped from the team and Yousuf should have been given the job,despite his lesser abilioties at the job.

yeah thats true It was a big non-sense from younis khan, plus i guess by the new board official i don't know why but its been our routine(pakistan cricket board) to do stupid kind of decisions and, even if you did then whats the point in presenting infront of everyone, like the way younis behaved in press confrence that day, it was rediculous younis should've been penalized for all he did, I m a great admirer of younis khan was rude and unacceptable plus it was insult of Inzi aswell that a new guy like younis khan wants captaincy ahead of a legend

Sounds like Inzy's days are coming to an end even closer then some of us might expect. Looks like the world cup may not be a possibility for Inzy. but then again who knows, its pakistan cricket, anything is possible.

All we have Big Mouths and Ego’s, but practically we do nothing.

To an average observer living in England, Younis Khan comes across as a pleasant and lively cricketer who seems to be involved in whatever he is doing passionately. It is understandable that a passionate cricketer gets annoyed by the poitics of captaincy the moment he enters that unknown territory. But I beleive if Younis Khan is allowed to work as a captain with some freedom, he would make a very nice captain. So please don't burden him with too much journalistic criticism. If he quit captaincy, it must be that he was too honest about his job rather being very dumb.

Too much ego in this team......no discipline whatsover.....its ridiculous....no professionalism.

well said however as Bob commented that pak have to live without inzi one day

I dont think we will ever learn from our own mistakes or from others. We are inhabitants of a country whose every sector is in turmoil because of the sheer high-handedness of the people in uniform at present, and same is the PCB. The PCB has to be made an autonomous body one day, the earlier that day will approach the better it would be.

I think Younis Khan will do a fabulous job as a captain if fully supported by his teammates. I strongly believe there is no one better that Younis Khan to lead the Pakistan side at the moment. He is energetic, agile and always involved in the field. He has proved to everyone over the past two years that he is a brilliant batsman and the team man to the core. Admittedly, his refusal to captain the Pakistan cricket team came at the worst possible time, but one should understand that he is an uncompromising player who will put everything including his career at stake for self-respect and dignity... a true Pathan really. But, he is the only man I feel who can take this Pakistani team to the dizzy heights. I wish him all the best for the ICC Championship and hope he’ll win us all five games including the final.

Good Blog! In the days before Younisgate, I was starting to think that for the first time in history Pakistan will have a peaceful transfer of anything - let alone cricket. And Younis could be the Michael Vaughan to Inzi's Nasser Hussain, i.e. improving on areas where Inzi had stagnated (fielding, attitude). But...

On a serious note, as a Pakistani fan this is indescribably frustrating. I had started to get a sneaking feeling that over the last 10 years cricket had finally become a profession in Pakistan and India but the Ganguly affair and now this has put that ‘fear’ to rest.

Why does power get into our cricketers head and they think that they are above the game and country does not mean anything to them. Who has given these players right to make a mockery of the country? Everyone laughs at Pakistan when every day something new is happening. I believe that Younis Khan should be fined and banned for bringing Pakistan's name into disrepute.

It is always amazing how even our perception of what happens changes. After Younis' 'dummy captain' stunt, the verdict in my circle of cricket enthusiasts was 'it would be very hard for him to become captain now', and we all had to eat our words (no choking, just laughter) when he was reinstated as captain. Just goes on to show what we thought to be the road to professionalism, was just another kacha-track for amateurish behavior.

i agree younus is doing better with willow in the recent past. but he consider himself too much. he is too greedy for the captains post. i reasonably assume that is it because he enjoys good support from imran khan. i think imran is little more critical to inzamam and he want to nurture younus for the slot. eventually younis thought of himself superior than inzamam. infact he is nowhere near to the class of inzamam. though inzamam is not such a captain who makes lot of hue and cry in the outfield (which is considered to make a good captain, mind you he is probably the most sucessful captain ever who lead the country to a winning position.

i belive inzamam is the right choise to lead pakistan till world cup. i never see any player like inzamam who played wonderfully under pressure and win the maximum matches either as a player or player. can any one tell me any player in any country who lead country to win the matches more than inzamam??

Not to forget the stupid mistakes done by manager Talat Ali, when he introduced Younis Khan as Muhammad Yusuf three times. This is just plainly embarassing and plainly stupid.

I was disappointed at Younis's behaviour before his departure for India and also Inzi's decision to walk away from the game at Oval. They both showed the images of their bosses who are running the PCB which is not too different from the political leadership of the country. Afzal Mir California

I dont have any issues with YK. The reason is simple. I dont think Mushraf wanted some bearded guy to be the leader of country's cricket team. So all the elements that do not represent enlightened moderation are slowly weened out. Mushy is gone because of that. Inzi is next. Funny thing isnt it that cricket should also portray Pakistan's soft image.

I think anyone can guess that there is much more to Younis's decision than merely being a dummy Captain, what we do need are the answers to all the questions that have crept up by this ill advised decision on his part and the events around Oval fiasco as well as Shahryar's resignation.

there is no reason that he cant fly...no body's perfect and after all of his mistakes and some judgment errors, he's the only best option available with pakistan to lead...he poses leadership qualities...being good player is totally different than being a good leader...inzi is a legent but only as a player...take example of england's nasser hussain...an average player but their sencond best captain in english history...lets hope mr kamran abbasi that u'll understand the difference now...i dont mean to be rude...but u should give younis a fair chance...

i think it was totally wrong of the new chairman to drop mushy the englishman are honouring our heroes and we r ignoring tem i think it is high time tat we start respecting our greats and i think what younis did was totally childish he shuld b a bitmore responsible when making decisions regarding te country

I am not saying that what Younis did was correct. But I feel that we should reserve our conclusions till the time when the true reason(s) for his act become known. There might be something going on in PCB that led him to a decision that could have ended his career, or atleast his future in captaincy. On the other hand, he might have acted stupid by over-reacting on a trivial issue. I feel for Mushtaq. The man has changed so much now, a very loveable soul. But you cant blame the new chairman if he has has sacked him due to technical reasons, i.e on recommendation of justice Qayyum's report. Its not Dr. Nasim's fault If Shahriar Khan didnt follow the recommendation. EVEN IF there were other reasons that led to mushtaq's departure, as you have alleged, you cant blame the chairman becaue he played the technical game. But I dont agree with you on that matter. I hope Pakistani team recovers from the happenings of last week and play as a unit. My good wishes are with them.

What a childish act on Younus part. He should be kicked out of the team for being so selfish. It is interesting to note that nothing has been said about poor Razzak who was probably made a VC without asking for it then removed instantly. He's been taken for granted. This is what he deserve after giving so much to Pak cricket. Our management will never learn. I suggest we should lease our PCB management to a third party business management group, they for sure will do a better job then what we have seen from these umbrella officials.

I hope Younis Khan will fry. Any one who puts teams integrity and unity at stake shold fry. We need cricketers not the politicians in the team. If Younis Khan prefer politics over cricket then we are better off without him. Inzi is a decent human being and a great petriot and no one should point a fingure toward him. Mushtaq Ahmed has done great service for the country and his county record proves that he is at him prime and should be cosidered for selecting in the team as he has done nothing wrong and has never been penalized. You are right about Dr. Nasim Ashraf that the signs are not good, I sincerely hope that I am wrong. May God have mercy on us.

Great intro Kamran. I just wanted to jot down my thoughts on your question will he fly or fry? . I am also a big fan of younis Khan and think he has the credentials to be a very good captain, but his behaviour last week has shocked me amongst the million others. To cut a long story short, I think this will be a great test for him and the whole team and if he can unite and motivate the team Pakistan cricket should be in good hands after Inzi's retirement. However, as we have seen last weekstranger things have happened in Pakistan cricket. Being an optimtist and an ardent fan of the team I hope the whole team flies towards success in this tournament and beyond. Inshallah.

Harris Mustafa

I would like to comment on 2 things here Politics sports Lets take Politics President Mushraf is acting he is whole and soul of pakistan,and he has taken the responsibility to run it with its army style wheather is the country or the PCB. I have yet to learn of a similar situation where the PCB chief get sacked and the next person is appointed with in hours. What a shame and the whole things sucks

Let take the sports INZI step is like a proverbial "coin has two sides heads or tails", if this step is correct or wrong. As a captian he has taken a step which we felt ring (maybe Andrew Flintoff / Pointing would have reacted in the same manner). what was appaling was the way the PCB, senior veterans handled this entire episode. Instead of standing and providing moral support to the captain and team (which was the need of the hour).

Younis Khan outburst was very childish, immature and lacked taste. Little said is better, I found this very distasteful. It just reflect not only on the team but the way the entire PCB is functioning.

Conculsion: may this is the way pakistan runs and its in their psyche. Wheather its politics or sports the mantra is "rule by force, grab power"

AK

mr. abbasi, i think you are absolutely right. i had already posted my comments to cricinfo that just like any other paki politician, our new pcb cheap in the rhythm of showing some muscles made the following wrong decision hours into getting his position: 1) wrong to remove yousuf from captaincy 2) he was long officiating as vc before stupid younus khan became inzi's deputy 3) can ashraf expect 100% from yousuf 4) wrong to remove abdal razzaq from vc 5) can ashraf expect 100% from abdal razzak 6) wrong to remove mushi from his position either 7) can ashraf expect 100% from inzi during wi tour of pakistan, if his friend mushi was removed just because he was his pal 8) wrong to give captaincy to younus khan when he had already rejected the offer 9) is new pcb cheap trying to tell the fellow that in the whole pakistan there is only one captain available for the championship on hand. 10) fueling the fire of complancy level of the fellow 11) will shahid afridi give his 100% to younus khan after what they had gone through in the last wi tour 12) daryll hair's jinx on pakistan will continue to exist right from the oval ground to indian grouds, to pakistan grounds (wi), to south african grounds right up to the world championship culminating on the pakistan team ranking replacing that of kenyan's

you just mark my words!!!!

Yeah , I certainly have to agree with you . I said certainly because I do like the Pak team but younis is simple nonsense . Instead , PCB itself is . Just around the tour of India last time , he was made the vice-captain even he was not a permanent member of the team . This is politics , pure politics . Then he was made to bat at no.3 position , though everybody know that yousuf has played very well there & is a sure shot better batsmen . Now , eventually he is doing justice to his position , but yousuf's performance has declined in ODI's since then ( in actual terms & not in stats ) . And now , when he refused to lead the side , the honour to captain the national side , yousuf was given the reins . But as soon as he obligued , captaincy was snatched from yousuf . This is insult to yousuf , a big insult . How can one show such kind of dirrespect towards anybody , & more importantly towards the player who is one of the best batsmen Pakistan has ever produced . I don't know how yousuf still doesn't have any problem with PCB or younis , he have to be a simple gentlemen to do so .

Thank god for Pakistan's volatility! If we had every cricket board and team chugging along as efficiently as Australia, cricket would have been duller.

The one dayers are already very dull. This statement is testified by the fact that a ball tampering row hogs the headlines for a couple of months and other non-cricketing issues are the best thing sports columnists can talk about.

The only series left worth watching are the Ashes or an India-Pak series. The solution lies in concentrating on the quality and not the quantity of cricket.

And yes, a volatile Pakistan team is just what the game needs in these drowsy times.

Yeah , I certainly have to agree with you . I said certainly because I do like the Pak team but younis is simple nonsense . Instead , PCB itself is . Just around the tour of India last time , he was made the vice-captain even he was not a permanent member of the team . This is politics , pure politics . Then he was made to bat at no.3 position , though everybody know that yousuf has played very well there & is a sure shot better batsmen . Now , eventually he is doing justice to his position , but yousuf's performance has declined in ODI's since then ( in actual terms & not in stats ) . And now , when he refused to lead the side , the honour to captain the national side , yousuf was given the reins . But as soon as he obligued , captaincy was snatched from yousuf . This is insult to yousuf , a big insult . How can one show such kind of dirrespect towards anybody , & more importantly towards the player who is one of the best batsmen Pakistan has ever produced . I don't know how yousuf still doesn't have any problem with PCB or younis , he have to be a simple gentlemen to do so .

I think Younis Khan will get the job done. Personally, he is a hard worker who strive for excellence always and gives 100% to the team.

If anything, the situation will motivate him and we will see him at his best.

He is also a team player and will certainly put away all the differences once his is in charge on the field.

His behaviour might even motivate Shid Afridi, who I think will have a big impact in this tournament (Champions Trophy).

Its like everyone is throwing their own trantrums. Spur of the moment decisionsand comments are the way to go, be it Inzamam ( the decision at Oval (although i think his stand was justified but not for that long a period of time) then Zaheer Abbas who had been quiet for so long since he was shown the door came out and said no one was happy with inzamam, then the decisions of Younis Khan ( i know he is a pathan and his pride matters a lot but what about the pride of his country and nation, pretty selfish from my point of view), then the decision to put him back in when there were rumors that he might not captain again, its like a game of chance you have the dice you roll then do what you want. The comments are pretty monotonous too to tell you the truth, its pretty predictable, if they are a part of the PCB everything is going great, if they get thrown out they make it seem like everything is going to collapse. One level headed person is all it takes, maybe not for Pakistan i bet we need quite a few, but the tantrums ought to stop. Hopefully we can concentrate our energies to wining games in the coming months rather than throwing these childish tantrums (the board and players alike).

I think all that happening in the previous fortnght starting from the ban, the resignation, the resignation, a new chairman, the reinstatement, the sacking are all becuase of involvement of politics in cricket in Pakistan. I sincerely hopes that all these are left behind and the team plays to its potential and wins the trophy and makes proud all the nation.

I think there is alot of politics in PCB which is why we are not taking advantage of the talent Mushtaq Ahmed has. Mushtaq Ahmed gets 100 wickets almost every county season and Danish Kaneria gets beating of his life from batsmen around the world, not to say that Danish is not a good bowler but he can learn something from Mushy who I think deserves a place in the side for a very long time. It is amazing that we can put up with Mohmmad Sami's wierd bowling displays but we cannot give chance to Mushtaq Ahmed.

By going to the press and spurning the captaincy instead of presenting his point of view to the PCB Younus Khan behaved irresponsibly and immaturely, two attributes that a leader can ill-afford.Primarily, to set an example for would- be aspirants Younus should have been told authoritatively to pack up and go home.Such temporizing undermines institutions for which Pakistan cricket will pay a heavy price.

My opinion is that PBC is making fuss with cricket game because of money-game. Let the cricket-players to be built by chacter & discipline not playing with media. Captain like Kardar, bowler like Fazal Mehmood, batsman like Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz,& Zaheer Abbas. They should follow pre-partition C.K.Nayedu,s descipline & fairness.

Younis has always shown glimpses of leadership skills whenever given the opportunity to do so. However, I couldn't help but agree with your view that what he has done this time around is purely DUMB ! PCB has set a bad example by reinstating him as captain of the team for the ICC Champions Trophy. This is likely to create 'further' divisions in the Pakistani Cricket Team. I hope he will fly and not fry!

The current situation is the silliest of all that Pakistan Cricket has had in decades. Younis Khan's recent actions are unprofessional and not suitable, for a person who leads the team. Younis' re-appointment to captain's position is, likely, one of the first shocks. And the way things are going, many more should be expected. Unfortunately.

Once Again the wounded tiger have same old age problem in their out field...and this will result a poor shpw down from one of the best team n in the present senario !!!!! wounded lol

You are on the dot. PCB have bunch of dumb and nonsense people. people there have no regard for anybody except their own likening or ego. as long as this is there pakistan cricket never folrish. For Younis Khan i have this : he acts like a stupid Kid " i have very serious doubts in his captaincy.( just remember the fight between afridi and him on west indies tour recently ) This is the start of end of a very brief calm period in pak cricket.( because of inzamam).

I am a Cardiologist working in the US. It was apthetic to see a doctor running the affairs of Cricket. Dr Asharaf whom I have heard about is one of the biggest oppurtunist known. He was seen on TV actively (probably undermining Mr. Khan's job)running around during the Oval Fiasco. Another step towards modern enlightment ? Favouritism

Younis Khan is getting over-confident with his recent successive batting perfomance. Why didnt Mohammad Yousuf asked any question when he was stripped off of his vice-captaincy without any good reason? He was appointed captain for one night and next day Younis Khan took his place again. This is totally wrong. Younis Khan should have been punished for his actions. It clearly shows there is no discipline of rules and anyone with a backup can challange the authority.

I totally agree with you. I have my own perception on this though.

In my opinion, yes the Oval fiasco wasn't handled perfectly by any one.And out of all people Zaheer Abbass comes out to blame Inzi is very low of him because we all saw what he was busy doing on TV. Inzi was the only one to take A STANCE that day. It sounds like Mr.Abbaas is fancying his chances of getting the job back. Younis Khan's utter dumbness hasn't helped the matters either. It has totally over shadowed the work Inzi and Woolmer have put into the development of this team in the last two years. As for the new Chairman I beleive he is a reasonable man and sacking of Mushtaq could have other reasons than him being Inzi's friend alone. One more on Mr.Musharraf's mind could be the over and absolute over-use of religous terms and practices within the team which totally goes against the message he stands for and I agree with him. Instead of promoting education people like Inzi and Mushtaq are if in one way creating team unity are also taking the team 10 steps back in evolution. We need to give them something they don't have, not something they were given the moment they were born(religion). We need to understand that the balance of using religion in daily matters sits on a very thin line and that line is controlled by people like Inzamam in this instance, but Inzi will not always be there, hence, if the team is not united under the captain a big decline in personalities of the cricketers could take place. We need the Pakistani team to be educated so they could take their jobs like professionals do. Only then we will not see the dirty laundary out in the public.

Hi, The whole thing which we need to learn after the Ban on Inzimam is that how much critical Inzimam is to unit the team. Not for the first time for his batting but most importantly for his Captaincy! I have a feeling now that the condition of Pakistan team after Inzi will be just like the condition of Team which was in 1992 World Cup. Many Star Players but no Team SPirit. The glimpses of this unrest were given by Pakistan Team in 2004 tour West Indeas tour when Inzi was banned for the first test and everything went wrong in the first test when Younis was captain. You got to accpet that no senior player will give respect to Younis since everybody will feel that he is more desevant for the captaincy. When everybody was asking that dump Inzi for Test or ODI and make him captain then they had not realized that how critical Inzi is for Pakistan. No matter his captaincy lacks many things. No matter he looks laizy in field. But thing is that he has build a team for u in last 3 years which everybody failed to do so from Miandad to Salim Malik to Wasim to Moin to Waqar. So it is really important to persue Inzimam atleast till Worldcup since If Pakistan has any chance of winning that cup will b Only under Inzimam otherwise people are waiting for another Worldcup 2003 replay!

What Inzamamam did was great for south asian cricket. Cricket like all sports is marred by racism. Umpires like Darryl Hair are hailed and included in the elite panel despite their poor judgement and tendency to run into controversey. Shane warne is an all time great and muralitharan is a cheat!!! Mcgrath is the greatest fast bowler of modern era and Wasim Akram is a ball tempering guru. This is the message of the ICC. I say hurrah for Inzamamam and anybody who has what it takes to stand up to racism.

i dont think pakistan may feel over this since they are a great one day side capable of winning the world cup.

Why on earth are we surprised at the recent events in Pakistan Cricket arena? EVERYTHING about Pakistan is ADHOC, UNPREDICTABLE, SELFISH, UNDISCIPLINED .... need i continue? just look at the way our country is governed and the example set by our rulers. S... flies top down not bottom up. Unless we have good selfless professional leadership bank on these fiascos repeating with regularity.

i think i won't be surpirise if we see inzi's resignation in couple of days or right after champions trophy. since every one is out from inzi's team do u think inzi is out also.

looks like to me that dressing room is going to change again and every one will praying ( if all do) seprately and play separtely too.

Inzi's effort of bringing them together is wasted and no doubt they were trying to win his attention not ALLAH's

Pakistan is all about politics and cricket is no different

There is no need to worry about Pakistan Cricket and Pakistan cricketing talent. We have a well balanced team that is giving consistent performance.

Here is my prediction, that I made when Zaheer Abbas and Waqar Younis were added to team management/couch:

"Inzamam and Woolmer will both leave Pakistan Cricket before World Cup 2007".

In the absence of Zaheer and Waqar, Inzamam gave the team a fighting spirit, confidence, self-respect, motivation and the sting. As soon as Zaheer and Waqar were appointed I could see the return of nasty politics and departure of self-respect. Individually, Zaheer and Waqar were greats but in the present scenario as non-playing members of Pakistan team they are very harmful.

Zaheer Abbas for one behaves and wants to be treated like an 'Asian-Bradman'. Even Don Bradman himself never behaved like 'Bradman The Great' such was his humbleness. Zaheer's conduct during the Oval fiasco showed everyone that this job is not for him; he should be left in the showcase and celebrated like a prized possession.

Waqar Younis on the other hand is from the era of Wasim Akram's group politics. Inzamam got rid of this cancer (group politics within the team) as soon as he became incharge. Waqar will only help create frustration in the team and should be sent off as soon as possible.

As far as current entertainment provided by Younis Khan is concerned. There is nothing to be concerned about, when professional cricketer are treated in an unprofessional manner then there is no choice but to put everyone in there right place. That is exactly what Younis Khan did. Younis is the right replacement for Inzamam and he will prove it when the time comes.

Kind regards,

Wamiq Ansari Leeds, UK

Hi Well being one of same title as u mentioned i feel it is better to use ones name then title but thats not even a tertiary issue while considering what just happened in last couple of week. Younis not being a dummy cap, Musshy being out and cheif being changed. In my humble assessment something might have happened in this sequence. Younis once being nominated might have been sugested that he would be better off if he listens to indressing room "advise"...Mushy might have been more pivitol in those matters since he is regarded as a shrewd mind in cricket...and no doubt he has proved it at county. Now the young man could have been explained this is a more blunt manner that he could handle which led him to an unrational act of not waiting for the cheif to come out of a meeting and meet him promptly and his anger got hold of sences...result a sudden on liner that shocked millions. What follows was a diplomats saying enuf is enuf...while saying this i do praise the way Mr. Shehrayar has run the affairs. The oval fiasco was managed in less then agreeable manner but i totally agree with Inzi stance, One mere TEST has no value in my eyes then one Country Honor...maybe people who say he should have continued playing have heard less of HONOR and the label CHEAT...hail inzi who did the right choice, the fiasco would have left S.Khan more then just fatigued and with ECB coming on with compensation plea he might have had different ideas for problems to be.

My concern now is not the present or immediate future of Pak cricket but a long time one. Inzi in my view is automatic captain the moment he serves his "dumy" ban (he deserved none in my humble view as he never did any tempering-the primary charge), but once the great Legend of all times will say good bye to cricket we need a sound figure to come in.

Younis is a person whose body language suggest a bubbly character much more deep in his thoughts and visions then his jumping and smiling on feild-his eyes gives out a lot while he smiles and jumps around. Within him is an area which hardly takes denial or self critic and all this is sugar coated with ability to perform when matters. It is imperative that he cautrise his ego bit a lill more to put one more layer of wisdom under ego stress as his ability and he has a short time to do so.

Suggestion: Once PCB gives some one a central contract it shows they r thinking of that particular individual on a long term basis and as a valued asset. It time to do Value addition. There should be series of training in Off Season and during season itself when at home to groam probable leaders in that group. Sugested trainings are leadership skills, communication skills, controlled diplomacy, body language, counter psychic pressure, anxiety control, group talk management skills, distribution and sharing of authority skills...all this is available as trainings locally in Pak also from top universities in Lahore and many groups doing same services for many multinationals and youth groups...so why not use it for this group and assess how they assimilate the information when they play for Pak and domestic league. Its high time to nurture the next 10 yr future of Pak cricket hierchy in a scietific manner. This will reduce chances of such irrational and unprofessional actions as the resignation once which could have been effectively handled if they had proper training.

Regrads

Ali Akram

Once again a weak leadership at the top has shown how our cricketers can behave.Younis Khan should never be allowed to captain Pakistan, an honour which most people cherish yet he washed it away in disdain. Some one please please convince Imran Khan to take in charge and bring some order at PCB.

I dont say anything b coz younis khan is really dumb, dumb, dumb. What Younis Khan did was dumb, dumb, dumb. I think we don’t need any moor politics in cricket we want only cricket not Politics in cricket sounds like paki political cricket yes I know younis is good player but he is not good for paki team I named him silent poison keep him away from captaincy his position is in paki team should be just as a batsman not as a captain this is good for paki future otherwise iam afraid he is going to make his blog in team we should surch for new captain after very warm good bye from us to inzi after world cup and somebody told Mr.inzi that plz don’t smile when u lose any match and don’t say any thing rubbish well well I know he cant speak English but plz don’t hide ur week point with to give smile at lest just understand the situation Allah help our paki cricket nearly World cup is going to start and we are still going through paki political cricket Good help us .

I might be wrong but it seems like Pakistan team is on its decline before they reached the top... efforts of past couple of years seem to be wasted. Team cannot be great until board is thoroughly cleaned who seems to have no discipline and of course constitution.

i partially agree with kamran that what younis khan did was dumb. i say partially because he did it just hours before the team was heading for what is considered as a mini world cup. However, with the resignation of Shehryar khan and reinstatement of younis khan it sort of confirmed the speculations that there is something wrong in the heirarchy. There shouldnt be any place of politics or dictatorship in cricket. the captain should get complete authority like imran khan had . What younis did was pretty much inevitable but then again i think it was not the right time.

Mr. Kamran Abbasi your comments are based more on politics rather purely on cricket. You would not have called Musharraf as "Mushy". That is sarcastic and low. Again, Zaheer Abbas is our national hero and he does not needs to be compared or associated with any one and not even Bradman. Does the west compare or associate their greats with Imran Khan, Jahangir Khan or Samiullah and so on? Abbasi grow up.

How many coaches are needed in a team? How many coaches we had when we won the World Cup? Getting rid of Mushtaq Ahmed was the right decision.

Hi Mr Abbasi, i read ur articles very often.. im a true fan of Pakistan Cricket, i live in Australia, have been for years but heart is still with Pakistan cricket no matter how many blunders they do.. its just funny how the whole PCB is getting away with wht they do. The management is totally crazy.. I dont know how they will progress further with this sorta management.. if the management is not set how will the players be.. look at the opening pair.. its still not solved.. they have to be patient and trust there judgment. they handle each and every player very badly.. look at salman butt!! he came and he's gone. yasir hameed, came and gone.. they just dont kno how to stick with players and show faith in them.. u gotta build young players confidence up dont shatter it! i reckon my local club here handles me better than those players have been anywayz now lets get to Younis khans behaviour, it was very childish just quitting like tht.. but then again it could be a very strong reason for him to do that.. one more thing about younis, when the Paki team came to AUs.. there was a function organised by a mosque here in melbourne, and most of the team came, xcept for younis,razzak, afridi and shoaib i think. so yeh.. them being the senior players didnt come to the dinner organised by UMMAH, which was dissapointign so many kids were looking forward just to see just SHoaib. anyway i just dont know how the run this organisation.. Pakistan is a very proud cricket nation, and recent problems just are worrying and the problems dont seem to go away they just keep building up. but in the end after a good win or two everyone seems to forget everythign and start talking how good the team is.. but i guess tht was the supporters want to see, their team winning and thts wht the players r paid to do do so as loong as they win their matches no one cares wht goes on behind the scenes.

It was very un-professional and selfish for Yousin Khan to dump the captaincy couple of days before the start of ICC champions trophy. Highly irresponsible. This man didn't think about the effect his selfishness will have on the team. It was wrong timing for him to step down. He shouldn't have been made captain again..I dont he has earned any admiration from the Pakistan squad with his antics.

He is already fried !! To all who saw a great captain in him , my advice would be to have a closure look. Positive bodylanguage and a cheerleaders attitude is good in short term but captaincy and leadership is more than that !! I can not define it but know that Inzmam, Imran, Saurav and waugh had it while Rahul , Younis , waqar did not !!

I tend to agree with the writer. We have had three board chairman in Musharaf's era. All of them were handpicked by him. They all promised to do a lot. We have seen two who lost the initial zeal along the way and third has just started on a high note. Seeing the grand entry, i am not too optimistic about his performance and i am also not sure if he will be a getting a grand exit. Sacking Mushtaq seems to be more political than administrative. The captaincy saga may be captivating but irrational. Fighting it out in the media is not the solution. The camping issue in Pakistan Cricket is not new. It is not a secret that Younis Khan is very close to Rashid Latif. And the three guys, allegedly, he wanted to include in the team are all from the Rashid Latif camp although talented. So all is not right at the moment. I am also not too optimistic about his captaincy. He may be quite positive on the field but his off the field antics do not portray him very well. Still, for the sake of Pakistan cricket let's hope he flies and let's hope he doesn't enjoy flying alone.

I AGREE 200% with Mr Kamran Abbasi, Whatever Younis has Done, is truly, Dumb, Dumb, DUMB, And Pakistan needs to get away from Such Nonsense for Sure.

Good Job Mr Abbasi Keep Writing.

Fly of course - the joys of Pakistan cricket - team unity must be at an all time high. Who cares about the machinations and politics of the board - it does not matter, with Woolmer in charge, Inzi at the helm, players of the calibre of Yousuf, Younis, Afridi, Akmal, Shoaib - Malik & Akhtar, Asif and Kaneria - we should be winning consistently in both forms of the game. We need 2 good openers, a robust succession plan for Inzi's retirement, robust development plans for our fast bowlers and more depth in our batting. All of these are cricketing issues that Woolmer needs to influence - the board are useless in this matter, so let them play their games, and if occassionaly a player deems it necessarry to join in, as Younis did on this occassion, as long as it does not detract from the cricket, so what?

Shahryar Khan did wonderfully well with the team as well as with the affairs of his board. Specially after the mess that was left by the former chairpersons of PCB; also hand picked by the Patron himself. It's sad that every new chairman starts making whimsical changes on the first day of job. It shows lack of respect towards the rules and hard-work carried out by the former administration. Let's hope he doesn't suggest a change in the logo of Pakistan Cricket.

as professional player its sad to see player like younis, act like kid, wish he had thought of his country first

I agree that Younis Khan behaved in a manner that shocked us all. But, I think something was up with the PCB management that forced Younis to do what he did. A captain should command certain level of respect and leverage in various aspects of team prep and selection prior to an important tour. And we can clearly smell something fishy was going on that led to this fiasco.

The PCB management looked like a bunch of highschool vandals at the Oval if you ask anyone who witnessed and could read lips during the Oval debacle.

Coming back to why Younis reacted this way: Remember that Imran Khan set a precedent which Younis is only following albeit in a more blunt manner. The message is clear - Don't push ideas out of your non-cricketing brains down a cricket captain's throat. PCB will be better served if they learn this important rule of thumb.

Indians should know this fairly well. The saga that played out with Ganguly is fresh on everyone's mind. And Dravid and Chappell came out pretty good with the boys rallying behind them once they got the ignorant board officials off their backs.

Thanks,

Rahil Khan Santa Clara, CA, USA

It is to Pakistan's credit that they fire the most when things are not going their way. Their adminsitraion may be in shambles, team disunited off the ground, but when it comes to playing cricket, they are as united as ever.

But after the era of Inzamam who. He was a quiet man and a great binding force with lot of charisma and respected by the players. But will Younis Khan command the same respect from the Afridi's and the Razzaq's ?

PS: Kamran, is Nasim Ashraf a doctor or has a doctorate in some subject

Will he fly or fry? Its a very difficult question to answer. But my instincts tell me to go with fry. And reasoning also suggests somewhat similiar. Younis Khan will soon find out that its very different to be captain for one match than for a whole series. Captaincy, in Pakistan is all about handling the pressures off-field. The resurgence of Pakistan cricket team, after the shambolic performance of 2003 world cup, can be attributed to the trio of Aamir Sohail, Rashid Latif and Inzimam. Later Rashid Latif was dumped for some unknown reason. Inzamam was made the captain and Bob Woolmer joined in for good. When all started to settle in and Pakistan team looked like a good knitted unit, it all started to happen. Local Media and ex-cricketers started to criticize Inzamam and Bob Woolmer and that too quite unjustly. Imran Khan created a hype surrounding Younis khan's captaincy and Mohammad Sami's inclusion in the team. Imran's word seems to be the final verdict in Pakistan cricket and Younis Khan emerges as a new hero. In my opinion, this is all getting to him. When Inzamam was captaining, he was in the sidelines waiting for his turn. Now, he wants to be forthright. He is too pumped up to show his potential. This may be affecting his sense of judgement. Inzamam is the only binding force in the team right now. And if you take him out than probably we will be left with bunch of losers fighting out with each other.

This was the silliest decision by Younis Khan and by doing this he not only let down himself but also lost his pride and respect which people have it for him. He also let down the whole nation. I dont know why captaincy is like a political chair that every one wants to sit on that. When this thing will finish?. No one knows.

Younis Khan is a great leader.A leader by example.He proves his words by his own actions.Above all a great role model for everyone who want to stay away from cheap politics and lobbying.I wish Pakistan victory under his captaincy.He will fly new heights for sure.

I beleive, need for assistant coach was not there thats why Mushtaq Ahmed was fired. Waqar Younus is capable enough to train bowlers and Bob Woolmer should not be needing an assitant after an army of assitants. I think the supporting staff should be kept to minimum so that every body knows there role and just dont sit back and relax on an indian tour. Naseem Ashraf must be having other ideas than Shaharyar Khan. I beleive Inzi should captain the team till he retires and ofcourse senior players need to accept younus as his successor .Seniority does not entitles one for captaincy spot automatically otherwise Grame Smith would not have had the chance to captain SA before Kallis and Boucher. I hope Younus and Inzi can sit together after Champions trophy and plan future stratgey for on the field and off the field affairs to put and keep pak cricket on its right track.

great idea, this blog. Looking to reading more in the future!

Fly like an eagle for sure. As you said, nothing can be predicted with Pakistan and the events of the last week and a half are not going to affect the Champions trophy in any way no matter what the latest psychologist or physiotherapist the PCB has hired says.

Salam Kamran,

Spot on as usual. Younis' act was really unprofessional and irresponsible. Whatever problem he had with Shaharyar Khan he shouldnt have just said one stupid sentence and walk away. Come on it is the country you are representing. He has really lost his respect among several of his fans who always thought him as a team man. Once again player power has won against the board. Unless and untill we have a proper board these issues/acts will be repeated again and again. The unity which Inzi and Bob have stilled in this team were shattered in 2 minutes by Mr. Younis next captain.

How can one allow such hot headed decision making to be ok? Not just allow it but reward it by recrowning Younis to be captain. Does anyone in PCB know what it means to be professionals? It will behove PCB to have training programs for these largley illeterate cricketers to become accustom to being professionals and more systematic in their approach towards life, work and sports. It really hurts to see talented people act like bufoons and make the country look like a banana republic.

BTW, please quit calling the Oval episode a fiasco. Sometime one has to take a stand and for all the allegations on Pakistan for years and years now, it had to be done regardless of the price. I fully support the extreme measure taken by Inzamam. That doesnt minimize the need for the team to be more professional.

(Nasim Ashraf—I'm humble enough to drop the title Dr, why isn't he?)

I think that was an unnecessary remark. We come to expect far better writings from (Dr) Kamran Abbasi who is related to British Medical Journal (perhaps editor).

Sir we value your thoughts but are you having a bad day today :)

coming from a doc myself.

I think he(Younis khan) should've accepted the captaincy without any hesitance. IF a captain is put on a ban, its obvious that the vice-captain should now play a substitute for his captain and serve his country in a respectful manner. I also think younis khan is a really good cricketer and also a really good person. He wasnt probably thinking right, that's why he has all his experienced mentors to support him and lead him to the right path. Im hoping he understands the position he's in, and he should be given another chance.

there is nothing batter than inz

1) I believe the stand taken by Inzamam was correct. Ex-Bradman's come and go like wall-flies, but honor is above all else even in a gae like cricket. No one, not even Hair and the whol length and breadth of the ICC should have been allowed to get away with calling Pakistan team cheaters without evidence. What happened is unfortunate, but it's absoluteley correct what Inzy said and did (or didn't do). 2) ICC and others involved missed a clear point. The game of cricket is for entertainment (a spectator sort), not for exercising indiscriminately the laws which are "gray". In the end the losers were the spectators and milons watching over the media - deprived of a tremendous sporting event. 3) Pakistan will probably not do well in the Champions' Trophy, in fact, it is doubtful that with the pressure they have put on themselves (courtesy Mr Ashraf and Mr Younis Khan); they will even get past the first stage - which is sad because for one this looked to be something of a professional outfit - not prone to the inconsistency of yesteryears.

Totally agree that what Younis did was DUMB DUMB DUMB ! Now he is back as captain for a few matches.. before Inzy gets it back.

Right Younis, you didnt want to be a dummy captain.. well now you are a DUMBY captain !

Hope you prove me wrong !

Go on Pakistan !

Asalam-o-Alakam! Dear Sir. Obviously being Pakistani, I aam following the cricket and team for long time as I am nearly 48 years old now. Unfortunately after Imran Khan Pakistan cricket team could never get good cricketing brain who is honest, disciplined, hard working and sincere with cricket and Pakistan. Everybody pretends such whiler they are not in my opinion I am affraid. PCB is run by opportunist and incapable people most of the time who just want to take thier turn of ride. This reflects what happened happened at Oval in thr presence of chairman PCB. So nfar I could not understand that silly code of conduct; a way to prevent people speaking truth publically. Every new administrater talks a lot probably to justify his appointment and even will not hesitate to sack few insignifecent people in the board. If Mr. Nasim Ashraf is that patriot and honest, he must bring previous administrtion's things public which I am sure he wont as everybody belongs to same boat, Being Pakistani I can only pray. I do not know why the selection of the team cannot happen by marit. Thanks. Qamar

The current scenerio of Pakistan Cricket has once again left everyone mocking the entire nation and once again emphasized the point that the cricket in our land is run by politicians who know nothing about the game and the player power is too much for them to handle.Younis Khan's resignation has once again brought shame and embarassment to the whole nation and the time where every single Australian time and time again, taking patriotism to new heights, our cricketers, once again prove that for them personal gains are more important. The legacy left by the likes of Waseem Akram, Salim Malik and others, once again come to haunt Pakistan cricket.The sooner PCB gets rid of Akram's proteges, the better it would be for the future of Pakistan Cricket.Although the only bright hope for Pakistan Cricket is that Inzamam Ul Haq is the last of these self centered cricketers,obviously led in the past by the great Waseem Akram,does not have too many years left in him. Let him play the world cup and then remove him from team for good and then pray that great game is played the way it should be.

well i agree the way younis khan act is realy a dump action but unfortunetley this is not only as a player all our politician ,i mean in each field we do or act same as he did it because they know nobody can touch them.

His apparent level of insecurity does not bode well long term, I fear for his future as captain. It is easy to be a stand in captain during a match or for one game, but this is a tournament & the public will expect them to win it. Thats real pressure

I think that Younis Khan has delibrately gone into a mess, which wont be cleaned until he wins the Champ trophy for Pakistan. That win looks unlikely, and the blame of the loss will be on Younis.

it depends entirely on the players and their performances,that only will show the acceptibility of younus's captaincy among the team mates and i guess his future depends on that.Now accepting captaincy with the reason of country's interest where was the country's interest when refused in media surely that was more embarrising than anything else. it seems like a conpiracy theory tactfully played jointly by Nasim Ashraf and Younus to achieve the desired outcome by getting rid off the top guns. How can younus be talking or accepting the captaincy in the name of country and greater interest of cricket team, which he has demoralized just when the team was picking the momentum and getting close to the worldcup.

In my opinion Imran Khan should manage the board and if he succesfully run's the board and improve's pakistan cricket in a year or two it would not only be good for pakistan cricket but for his political career as well to proof that he is a good administrator too which Pakistan need in corrupt politicians.

its all pakistanis history and back grouund based upon, whenever there is a big fish found people donont miss any chance to bring it under there authority i hope this time the history doesnot repeat

Kamran Sahab, You are speculating to the hilt. Sharyar's exit was the best thing to have happened to Pakistan cricket in a long time. Inzi is over the hill and his captaincy was a huge question mark to begin with. Younis was and is the only clear successor to Inzi by a long way and for his to finally get the postion, albeit with a bit of haggle is not too bad at all. Let just call it transition pangs...

I agree, whatever Younis Khan did was dumb, dumb dumb and whatever the board did afterwards was even dumber. Everyone knew and expected Younis khan to be the next captain, why he had to behave childish like that even if something bad had happend to him(like someone said he had to wait to 15 min to meet Shahriyar Khan!! is that something that you will get angy and resign like that??). But i still hope our team gets over the last week's events and perform well in the tournaments

The heat is definately ON Younis Khan and He himself is to be blamed for it. I am a big YK fan but this was immature behaviour. Now he REALLY need to prove himself as a Captain. Throw in that statement about Yorkshire Captaincy and we have a bag full of immature statements right before one of the greatest events for YK personally .. Pak Captaincy for a full series. ICC Championship will now decide whether he Fries or Flies. It is also very obvious that Inzyz influence is to be reduced in the team especially from the religious perspective ... soemthing that Mr. Mushraff would REALLY like to do. Too early to say how thing unfold but YK is definately on the HOT SEAT.

I wonder how players become so BIG when 18 months back they weren't even considered good enough to play for Pakistan. When it comes to fame and recognition, being humble doesn't cost much!

He will fly ofcourse, we pakistanis never fry..

What younis Khan did was undoubdtedly dumb( for lack of better word). It looked like for the last two years that he was the only player in the team that looked set to take over once Inzamam had retired. He was being groomed for the role and had his fans in Imran Khan and Naser Husain.

After the recent fiasco of capitaincy musical chair, he has lost whatever respect he might have in lot of people's eyes. To be fair, his personal record in ODI is nothing to speak of, so his place in team might hang on to how good a leader he turns out to be. With the attitude like the one he showed recently, I dont see it coming.

Pakistan team is in a crisi of leadership, that is visible time and again on and off the field. From stupid selection decisions, ridiculous onfield management and not the least, off the field handling of issues. Its one big mess.

Frankly, I dont see Pakistan as favourites in ICC Champions trophy or the WorldCup and it has nothing to do with individual talent or collective ability of the squad.

All we need is a captain with half of the charisma and skill of either Imran Khan, Steve Waugh or even Damien Flemming.

Well, i think what Younis did? wasn't wrong at all because you should have repect for yourself, and the position he is in as Pakistan captian he want to be consulted before any decioun being made. I think he is like Imran Khan stick with what he believes is right which is very good, and don't care about media. And for God sake DO NOT change the bating order, as this is not the time for expariment. You can do when torrnament is over. Deffinetiely Not Afridi as Opener and Always Younis at No.3 what so ever. IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT CRICKET AND BELIEVE IN SENCE NOT BELIEFE. Lets grow up and make some sencible deciouns forget the past. Thanks (i think i have not wasted my time and don't make think as well) SOME ACTION PLEASE

i don't care who the captain is as long as Pakistan wins and to be honest inzy is an asset to Pak team if they don't ignore him like few others, there are good players in Pak team but they still haven't grown so if he flies good if he doesn't then Pakistan will fry him.

well what Younis khan did would have been a reaction of somthing which is not brought in media yet... which is hiden behind somthing very lil incedent...Younis is very calm and cool person he cud not react to such stupid things that are being shown in media...he is perfect material for captianing pakistan ... like great imran khan...

I think this game of captancy is not new to Pakistani cricket. Remember Imran-Miandad-Imran-Miandad times. We, as pakistani fans, are all used to it now. As suggested, Younis Khan can be as great a captain as Imran Khan if he can use his emotion and qualities properly,more like Imran and unlike Afridi.

I must admit that I'm very disappointed in Younis Khan. After being such a good team player for all these years, many in the public and perhaps even the PCB have lost respect in his decision making due to the childish antics of the past week.

i think its not right.if younis dont want to play then there is no need to ask him.inzi is best for this and after inzi yousaf is best.there is no place 4 younis.

I still don’t know what happened. Can somebody please write an article that tells us what happened?

Let me ask you some simple questions. What was the need of Mushtaq Ahmad as an "Assistant Coach" anyways? was he hired solely for for the purpose of leading prayers in practice sessions or because he was a "pal" of Inzi? Agreed that what Younis did was incorrect but we also have to look at circumstances that led a sensible person like him act this way. I am pretty sure that whole truth has not been out yet and will never be out. But no matter how valitle the past week has been for pakistan cricket, the decision to bring back Younis Khan was a good one.

Younus Khan will not prove to be a good captain nor a good batsman for long if he continues to behave immaturely. Discipline is the key to success and discipline helps continuity and combining both with trust ensures success. Both players & the board to act wisely otherwise Pak cricket will be like in line with Zimbabweans now a days.

Younis Khan doesn't deserve to be a Captain. Infact, he doesn't even deserve to be in the playing eleven due to the way he behaved in last few days. He is one big loser whose big scores come on dead wickets.

I fully agree with your statement, "What Younis Khan did was dumb, dumb, dumb".

Sorry to see a cry baby like Younis Khan to be captain of the national team.

I feel sorry for Pakistan national team. I great talent like Mushtaq Ahmed and Pakistan refuses to use him.

This episode has taken pakistan cricket back to its good old bad times. When anyone could be removed with an hour. Younis Khan has not done him or his country any favour by dealing with the matter the way he did.

But then again it is history to Pakistan cricket to reward cronies. Just look at the new appointment of Chairman of Pakistan cricket board. Who will be rewraded next?

Younis has dropped the axe in his future as possible captain for Pakistan. He behaved unprofessionally to say the least, and his reinstatement as captain bears proof of the havoc the Pakistani heirarchy is in.

Whether he flies or he fries the damage has been done, we should take a look at humble Mr Yousuf as a replacement for the long term. Only if Younis could be a bit more like him, proactive, humble, professional and a bloody great cricketer both on and off the field. We want a captain Mr Y Khan not a circus fool!

I agree with you that Younis messed it up big time by publically resigning from captaincy a few days before champions trophy. But I sympathize with younis if the rumours about being made to wait for an hour or so in order to get to meet Mr. Shaheryar Khan as well as selection of Faisal Iqbal with out consulting Younis Khan are correct. Captain is the one who has to lead the side and make crucial decisions during the game and is the one whose actions and decisions come under scrutiny if the team performs badly in our part of the world. Therefore he should be a member of the selection committee in my opinion. I am not sure what value would Mushtaq Ahmad bring to the team if his appointment as assistant coach went through. What was his job description anyway apart from thowing balls to batsman in nets during practice. A new chairman can not be held responsible for appointments made by his predecessor and is justified in implementing his vision through changes in the personnel.

Dear Mr Abbassi, as someone who has worked with the BMJ I think you must have forgotten that the doctor himself chooses if he will be using his title and is in his full rights to use his title. Secondly, what Younis Khan did was not dumb in the very least. You cannot ask a man to lead a side which is full of egoistic personalities when they refuse to be lead by him. Death before dishonour and Younus did not want to fight a battle he had already lost. Also, Mushys appointment was completely pointless and all it did was give Inzamam even more power. Is it any surprise that as soon as Mushy officialy comes in, trouble starts brewing and players who are very close to Mushtaq such as Yousuf refuse to play under Younus, when they have not had a problem with him before-I certainly think NOT. As soon as Dr Ashraf took over, he said "There is no room for politics in cricket" , perhaps thats why Mushtaq has been removed. Younis Khan did the right thing to resign the captaincy, and do it publicly so he is not humiliated like he was when he turned down the vice captaincy in australia, and sacking mushtaq, great cricketer that he might be, is another good decision. Dr Ashraf may be a silly man and one that is in his position due to his friends and not the contents of his CV, but these are two very good decisions under high pressure. I completely disagree with you.

I am a huge YK fan, and I must confess that I was also taken a back by his stupid "jazbati" display last week. A rare glimpse of his ego was ugly to watch, I just hope his apology was sincere enough and it is all behind us. As far as Nasim Ashraf (and I will also drop the Dr.) is concerned, lets see what he does. One positive indicator, and perhaps not from him but from the Ad Hoc committee is that he let the current selection commmittee stay till the WC. We need as much consistency in our organization as possible. May God save our cricket!

Though hoping that somehow we manage to win the cup (like a desperate patriot), am extremely disappointed at younis khan's behaviour. Whatever reasons (legitimate or misplaced) he had, this post is a high profile one, and comes with its' own reponsibilities. He had to be more mature about the whole situation.

I agree with bob woolmer that we do not have the attitude to be consistently world class, like australia. Also lack the professionalism at the cricket board level.

nevertheless, hoping against hope that somehow we muster up six individual brilliant performances and take the cup.

Was thinking that we will definitely fly under younis's captaincy, but the last week have put serious doubts in my mind.

we always fry whenever there is division in the team and this is what i see at this moment in time.. hope i am wrong !!

Kamran thats a good article, well written. I agree with everything you've said. Actually, Im disappointed that Younis got the captaincy. He obviously doesn't realise what an honour it is to lead your country!

if we analyse this situation by thinking few questions answers, we will be in a better position to look into this whole scenario.

first 1#which batmans has the highest average in carribean(including home side west india)?

2#who is the most pressure absorbing players in this pakistan line up(including ban player)

3.# what happen, when inzamum did not play first test in the last tour ,pakistan loose even by very week oponent in carribean?

4.# why younis & muhd yousaf scored in recent past?

all these questions answers b/z pressure absorbing player in pakistan team is inzamam, two players scored freely b/z they know that there is left behind to handle the situation.

i know politics in lahore block, karachi-peshawar block,, causing damage to pakistan cricket

finally, pakistan i think ,hardly wins any match in champion trophy.

Hugely disappointed with Younis Khan. He proved us all wrong who had faith in him becoming a good captain. While, Nasim Ashraf committed a strategic blunder and seems to be an opprtunist who would everything to get a name even at the expense of a bad name for Pak cricket.

If I have a batting avg of 32 something in ODI and scored only two centuries, one against Eng and the first one against a very tough opponent...Hong Kong and if Chairman of the Board asked me to wait 4 hours before I could see him. Still I would gladly wait for him, wash his car and also clean his shoes in the meantime.

Because thats what exactly is my worth.

Lets just face it when it comes to ODI he is no Tendulkar. When it comes to captaincy he is no Brearly or Imran Khan.

I see in April 2007 the same kind of house cleaning which I saw in first quarter of 2003.

There is no doubt Younis Khan is a better captain tactically and in terms of injecting a bit more energy in the team. I personally like his way of doing things.

This is why it makes it even more dissapointing to the way he he resigned then accepted the captaincy once Sharayar Khan went.

I don't care who you are and what your reasons are, but you do not relinquish the captaincy of Pakistan in the manner he did. If he had issues he should have discussed and made his feeling clear through the many various channels if the PCB or the coach or even Inzamam.

To announce it in a press conference was stupid and disrespectful not only to the PCB but to his fellow team members.

It should be an honour to lead the Pakistan team not a divine right as some seem to think nowadays. SO whether you are leading the team for 1 day or for the rest of your career it should be shown respect.

Inzamam's captaincy has been criticised in the passed for not having a plan B when things are not going well, but his calming influence has ensured that for the last 2 years or so there have been no divisions. This also has proved to be a succesful time for Pakistani cricket in terms of results barring the last tour.

He is only missing 4 matches and we are already witnessing the infamous Pakistani divisions.

Watching Younis for the years he's been playing, his enthusiasm on the field and his ever smiling nature came across as much as his competitive nature. I too, thought he'd make a great captain but in this wjole episode he let himself down - he can still be a great captain, but he has failed himself as a high profile person- his utterences at the press conference too is borderline puerile. Hope he can recover from this.

What Inzi did at the Oval and Younis Khan's method od resignation is inexcuseable under any circumstances. Living in the USA, I am a great follower of Pakistan cricket and travel all over the world to watch them. I am now convinced that it is embarrassing for me to even be on the same ground where Pakistani cricketers are present. When will the PCB take action on these two players to prevent future captains and players from doing the same thing and bringing shame to Pakistan and cricket?

I'm hugely dissappointed in Younis and that is put mildly. Whatever his reasons maybe, right or wrong, he should have consulted the board and then make his decision. What he did is DUMB. What effect will it have on the whole as a pakistan cricket team? Only time will tell.....

Call me naive but I just can't believe that anyone would turn against Inzi, after all that he is achieved, and the form he is in currently - and that too 6 months before his last worldcup. Its a shame.

The latest news I read about Pak cricket is that Inzy will captain the team for the series against WI. If ousting Mushy was an attempt to marginalise Inzy, then its hard to understand this latest move. Unless this is a step to pacify Inzy and then ask him to resign or something. I know this sounds like a weird conspiracy theory, but after having seen what happened the last few days, I wouldn't be suprised if this turns out to be true.

I think that, once Younis Khan said he didn't want to be the captain, he shouldn't have been allowed to take it back. Mohammad Yousuf used to be the vice-captain, so he's capable and Pakistan had Abdul Razzaq as his deputy. Inzamam, Younis and Yousuf are all batsman. Razzaq would have been much better tp be the vice-captain. He could tell from the bowler's view.

I couldn't agree more, but would first like to express delight at the introduction of a blog about Pakistani cricket. Its been a long time coming with the spotlight seemingly always on either Australia, India or England.

When I first heard about Younis' decision to step down from the captaincy I was shocked and dumbfounded that an apparently astute man had made such a blunder. He has been for two seasons the vice captain and widely tipped to be Inzamam's natural successor. His comments about being a dummy captain perplexed me as I dont know if there is any such thing in cricket. Once you are out there on the field the only person calling the shots is the captain. This is perhaps why Inzy takes so many breaks, either he's strategising with Woolmer or is addicted to lassi. Cause lets face it, brilliant batsmen and lovable guy that he is, Inzy is no master tactician, and his success as captain is due more to his ability to unite the team rather than strokes of genius with regards to field placements and bowling changes.

Was Younis incensed about merely being a temporary replacement? If so his decision remains hasty and fool hardy. Inzamam is nearing a natural end and post World Cup 2007, Younis was definitely the choice candidate for the captaincy. Why he would rock a steady ship and his own blossoming career is beyond me.

If Younis felt he was getting the raw end of the stick then he should have clearly aired his grievances rather than cryptically stating that he would reveal his reasons for resigning afterward. Maybe he was getting no say in selectorial decisions. Firstly that should be a matter for the selectors (with the captain acting as consultant), and secondly after Inzy's retirement I wouldnt have doubted Younis' ability to finagle from the board the team he wanted. As acting captain it is not only his responsibility to lead his men, but to ensure that his actions do not cause further controversy and upset the balance of a mercurial team.

The past few days have seen whole sale changes, with the chairman resigning and Mustaq Ahmed being sacked. Its typical Pakistani politics; when a new government comes in they scrap the previous leader's programs good or bad, and initiate their own policy however misguided it may be. If it had been up to me, I would have considered dropping Younis khan (blasphemy to many Im sure) and sent the message that no player is bigger than the team. It seems that the Pakistani players have learned nothing from the Oval fiasco, if there is a problem proceed through the proper official channels and avoid sulking in the dressing room. Once you lay the background of proper and legal action you make your case that much stronger when subjected to trial by the ICC, the PCB or the media. Player power had been a problem in the 90s with them exerting too much influence over the administration and selection, are we reverting back to those chaotic days? The mantra had until recently been "the good of the team" and the retirement of super star players like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis signalled the beginning of a more stable but less fantastic Pakistan team.

I wonder how Mohd. Yousuf feels, captain one day and out in the cold the next. The effect on the team can only have harmed our chances of winning the Champions trophy. I know that Younis khan will make a good captain, but if he wants the backing of his team he will have to start thinking more as a leader and rise above the muck that is the internal politics of the PCB.

Good luck to him and our team.

I for one, am sick and tired of the way our cricket is run. After the Oval fiasco--and fiasco it was, Pakistan got what they wanted in the Madugalle hearing. They were on high ground so to speak, as high as it could get anyway in the circumstances. And there we go again, Pakistan cricket shoots itself in the foot. It is obvious to me that the reasons for Younis Khan's head explosion will forever remain shrouded in mystery. Which is the way they should remain because I am sure if they ever come out, we will find they were not really that big a deal. Someone please make Bob Woolmer sign a confidentiality agreement!! If not, a few years down the line he will write a book and Pakistan's name will be dragged in the mud again. I for one, am sick and tired of the way our cricket is run!

PCB may be participating at international level but they have neither class nor manners to be amongst the elite. Pak players reaction to many things is like some gali cricket team. The education level is poor, communication skills are bad and most of the times it is a one man team anyway. Give them all captaincy on rotational basis if they are all craving for it so much. If Mushy has any sense he will not walk into the Pak setup ever again, he is very successful at Sussex and it would be pointless wasting his last few years with Pakistan. One thing we have to get our heads around is that once the players become something they think of themselves to be untouchables so arrogance and rudeness reigns. That is why I always say "may the best team win" and deep down I know full well Pak isn't one of them.

This is what always happens with Pakistan Cricket,once the chairman changes the whole board changes.Favoritism and dirty politics is part of our cricket,as for Younis Khan,he is a man who performs when it matters the most.Remember in India when he was on a pair during the tests and under severe criticism he shut his critics up by two back to back centuries. I think he would be knowing exactly what the aim is and would realize his responsibility in Inzi's absence,but thats not the point.Its the team's attitude that has to change towards Younis,one thing that Inzamam did was earn the respect of the players,Afridi Razzaq and the Im-so-superior Shoaib has to get over their superiority complex and work under YK not forgetting that he is the current captain,that is the only way Pakistan can win this trophy.

I think it is all political stunts that are being played at public and gov expense. Everybody wants a control but nobody is everable to implement the kind of rules and regulations that are needed. Talent is wasted and people who don't know how to even hold a bat are included in the team. But i guess them having the money, to pay their way into the team, justifies their inclusion in the team. I believe that people who are not compitent shouldn't be allowed to run the cricket board. Especially when you can't control your players, like younis khan. I have seen him go from nobody to a star player over the years. Definitly don't want to take anything away from him, he worked hard to be where he is. But to resign the way he did implicated that he is a selfish player and doesn't care about the team.

I agree, fine analysis of a torrid of zany events.

As an Indian supporter, we like to face strong united opponents as it raises the level of the game, so hope this blows over.

Younis in a steady state would have found the heat at this level quite intense, now as rightly said, he has just increased the temperature himself and added extra pressure. In lab conditions that when your colleagues tend to distance themselves from the source of pressure!

One thing going for Younis is his genuine enthusiasm on the field, and his cheerleading abilities. He is also very affable with umpires, players, opposing captains and players and yet fights hard. As Younis has said 'past is past', there are advantages of short memory and an uncluttered mind!

Dear Mr. Abbasi. Finally there is a blog up with a Pakistani point of view. Great to see you here.

I don't know if we can come to any conclusions about last week's events. What Younis Khan did might have been 'dumb' but judging by his past record, he was definitely out of character. I think he was driven to act so irrationally.

I really like the guy...It's about time that he started playing well in ODI's. Before this season, I did not think he deserved to be on the ODI team. However his credentials for captaincy are stellar. I am usually always angry at the PCB. Sure heads are rolling right now, but I am sure the dust will settle. Shaharyar Khan was given an extended run. I think he should have resigned right after the Oval incident.

Your worries are not unfounded however. I hope Nasim Ashraf does a good job and there is transarency in his dealings.

By the way, how do you know all these people who are hired are the President's friends?

There was no need for an assistant bowling coach. What does that even mean? I'd rather have a professional athelete, or some professional trainer give bowling advice. Mushy is a great cricketer and he probably deserves to be on the team, rather than as a coach. Sometimes the best coach isn't exactly the best former player.

So from what I have read in the news so far, and from your conclusions, there is a slow but sure cleansing of Inzamam and his friend's and alliances from the squad.....?

Why?

Thanks and great to see you here again.

Omar http://omarlovescricket.blogspot.com

I was shocked the way Mr. Y khan announced his resign from captaincy. It reminded me the captain of the village team who cannot controll his emotion. whatsoever the situation be he should be honoured/proud to be captain of the pakistan team and all the differences aside can be delt with accordingly. I am still gobsmacked after the SYkhan's announcement that no disciplenary action be taken against Y Khan. is he superior to all the codes and law. this very wrong policy of the PCB that players are above the codes and laws. i feel ashamed to be pakistani now after this whole fiasco. we as family now decided not to watch pakistan's matches at all. till proper action are taken to rtify the things. slam

I have always liked Younis Khan but I have always hated the dirty politics that has haunted Pakistan Cricket in the past. I am shocked to see that the management woould be changed before the World Cup. Inzi has done so much for Pakistan cricket. So what if he made a mistake by not going back after tea at the Oval test. Everyone should know who Nasim Ashraf is and how he became the chairman for PCB. Does he have any experience related to Cricket or is he like Tauqir Zia, who just likes to watch cricket and hence made him eligible for the position (laughable!). I am very doubtful that Pakistan will get into the Final of Champions Trophy and if somehow they pull it off, it would only because of the talent we have in the team. PCB & Younis have actually worked against the team just before an important Tournament. Kamran: I would recommend following this issue closely and write a daily blog through the Champions Trophy.

just imagine how mahammad yousuf woul've felt? Totally insignificant, we're sure.

These problems are rooted in ego issues. The same ego of the Pakistani captain that prompted him to "defend national honor" by forfeiting a test match that his team could've won. That same ego manifests itself here in Younis Khan who was defending his own honor by refusing to be a "dummy captain." Seems like in Pakistani cricket, defending their own made up version of "honor" comes first. Defending totals or chasing targets is secondary. Bottom line is that in both instances, the Honorable Inzamam and Younis Khan both looked incredibly foolish.

I always thought Younis was very calm aand collected but he has shown he is also hot headed and self centered. He has lost my future support for him

I agree with your comments that what Younis Khan did was dumb, dumb, dumb. He was right in refusing the "Dummy Crown". Zaheer had once refused captaincy when Imran was injured saying "I don't want to be a captain on daily basis". However going public in this manner was a clear ridicule of discipline and had set a bad example. The board's action had not only encouraged indiscipline, it has also played bad for the morales of good guys like Yousuf.

However I don't agree with your comments on Mushtaq. I don't see why Mushtaq should get away when despite dodging the corrupting inquiry while young Ataurrehman is still suffering while cooperating with Inquiry. It is also said Wasim Akram lost his chances for knighthood because of the scandal. Why should Mushtaq be an exception.

I was deeply affected by Younis Khan resignation just before ICC champions trophy which was not more than a coward cry. A proud Pakistani had exhibited what a sadistic, and highly unprofessional ghoulish attitude. I wonder these proud Pakistanies say their Prayers MashALLAH in the ground and on the back they have so much controversies and conflicts. It seems to me every one has lack of courage that they cant face challanges. Perhaps may be there are more bad apples that it seems to public. I Prefer to refresh cricinfo after every five minutes that we might see yet another change in captaincy.

History of Pakistan reflects that we always disgrace infact rebuke our Heroes, and i wont be surprise if it happend with big man inzi, may be yet another person to join Dr Abdul Qadir 's club.