Younis makes no sense

Younis Khan has withdrawn from the tour of New Zealand requesting a break from cricket. This is nonsensical. Pakistan have barely broken sweat over the last two years. Younis has just won a pivotal power struggle to secure the captaincy. Pakistan require some consistency, not flip-flopping, and regular changes in leadership create inconsistency and doubt. The team needs to build its form and strategies for the big challenge of an Australian tour.

Moreover, Younis' mixed messages have become baffling. As much as many fans believe him to be the right choice as captain, he either wants the job badly enough to stick with it through thick and thin or he should give it up. The problem for Pakistan is that there are few genuine alternatives, and the selection of Mohammad Yousuf as stand-in captain underlines Pakistan's poverty of resources.

All the Pakistan fans who recently supported Younis against the establishment, like me, will be bemused, disappointed, and let down by his decision.