Former captains back Younis appointment

Former Pakistan captains have hailed the PCB's decision to appoint Younis Khan as captain after a string of disappointing results under Shoaib Malik.

Malik was replaced as captain on Tuesday, two days after Pakistan's embarrassing 234-run loss to Sri Lanka in Lahore, which resulted in a 2-1 defeat in the three-ODI series. Imran Khan, one of Pakistan's greatest captains, welcomed the move to put Younis in charge.

"Younis has one big advantage over others in that he is the best batsman in the team and is respected by fellow players because he gives his best and can demand the same from others," Imran told AFP.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, whom Malik succeeded as captain, said his successor had failed to live up to expectations. "Malik failed to handle the players in the team," he said. "A good captain is not about winning and losing, it's also proper handling of the players.

"I hope Younis leads the team for a longer period because frequent changes are not good for the team. Younis must perform well, as he has done, so that he can command respect and can ask others to perform well."

Zaheer Abbas is hoping the change at the top brings about a change in the team's fortunes as well. "We didn't have desirable results under Malik," he said. "At times, a change at the top changes luck and we can only hope that the team produces good results under Younis."

Younis himself has said all of the players will need to "wave their magic wands", a sentiment echoed by Abbas. "Not just the captain, but the other ten players in the team need to show their best so it looks like a unit."

Another former captain, Ramiz Raja, believed it would be a testing time for Pakistan cricket, but felt Younis, who had rejected captaincy offers in the past, would show more respect to the position.

Yawar Saeed, who was involved as Pakistan's team manager in the decision to appoint Younis captain, said: "It wasn't easy taking the decision but we had to better the team. I hope Malik emerges stronger from this and does his best for the team in future."