Younis keeps door open for return

	Younis Khan: "I have given my resignation. It is their [PCB] job to see what happens next." © AFP Enlarge
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Younis Khan has left open the possibility of taking up captaincy once again, a day after handing his resignation. But he insists it is up to the PCB on how the matter now develops.

Younis resigned from the post on Tuesday during a National Assembly hearing, incensed that he and his team had to defend accusations of match-fixing after their semi-final loss to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy. Ijaz Butt, chairman of the PCB, refused to accept the resignation and told Cricinfo that he will meet Younis over the next few days in the hope of changing his mind.

And in the first sign that Younis may be amenable to such a scenario, he refused to rule out the option, saying it was up to the PCB now. "I have given my resignation. It is their job to see what happens next," Younis told BBC Urdu in an interview hours after his decision to resign.

Younis quashed rumours that Shahid Afridi's meeting with Butt a few days after their return from South Africa had anything to do with his decision, preferring to single out the match-fixing allegations as the main reason. "The last six to eight months only I know the difficulty, every day being told to take along the team, the team management and the entire country. I have made a lot of sacrifices in that time.

"Then to come back to accusations of match-fixing. It was very difficult for me, as a Pathan, to handle such accusations. I've been hiding from people, from friends, from family, as if I've done something wrong. As far as Afridi's meeting with the chairman goes, anyone can meet anyone. There is nothing in this."

Younis said that he had not spoken to anyone before taking the decision but added that he had no complaint with anyone in the PCB. "The chairman and the board have been very supportive and I have no complaints about them. But it was difficult to face after coming back from South Africa."