Younis disappointed with poor pitches

Younis Khan has expressed his disappointment at the sub-standard pitches used for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and said they were the main reason for the string of low scores in the tournament so far.

"The wickets we've played on so far are of very low quality and slow," Younis was reported as saying in Pakistan's The News. "Most of the country's leading batsmen have failed to score many runs on them. It's hardly surprising because you don't expect such poor pitches for a major event like the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

"I didn't score many runs neither did Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi or Nasir Jamshed in the previous games."

Younis' opinion was shared by Javed Miandad, the PCB's director general, who felt sub-standard pitches were turning spectators away.

"We need seven good batsmen for the national team and you cannot groom them on sub-standard wickets," Miandad said in Karachi. "If you see all over the world, wickets are becoming more batting friendly because spectators come to see runs being scored. We also need our domestic matches to be high-scoring encounters."

Younis is one of the few Pakistan internationals participating in the tournament, with Shoaib Malik and Shoaib Akhtar, among others, opting out. He captains Habib Bank, who inflicted a huge innings-defeat on Pakistan Customs in Karachi after scoring 314 in the first innings.

Danish Kaneria took six wickets - a total of 19 wickets fell on the second day - as PC were bowled out for scores of 87 and 129 with more than a day and a half to play.

Younis, who made 71 in that match, helping his side recover from the loss of early wickets, stressed the need for more sporting and quicker tracks to ensure competitive games.

"I don't mind playing on hard, green-top wickets because such strips would help both the bowlers and the batsmen and will also help produce good matches."