Yousuf and Younus cop blame for disaster Down Under and are run out of town by Pakistan chiefs

Pakistan cricket was last night at a bizarre crossroads, with nobody seeming to know which direction to take, after the two best batsmen were banned from representing their country for life.

Not for the first time the soap opera that is Pakistan cricket took a surreal twist yesterday when the Pakistan Cricket board (PCB) announced former captains Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf had been run out of the national team.

The shocking move, which also included one-year bans for Shoaib Malik, and bowler Rana Naved ul Hasan, and hefty fines for the Akmal brothers and ball-biter Shahid Afridi, came after the PCB’s six-man committee had conducted an inquiry into the disastrous tour of Australia at the start of the year.

Pakistan slumped to a hat-trick of whitewashes at the hands of Australia, but the committee blamed ‘infighting’ between Yousuf and Younus for the disastrous results and have sent the duo spinning out of the ground.

“Their attitude has a trickledown effect, which is a bad influence for the whole team,” said a statement from the PCB, with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt adding: “When one was captain he threw the other man out, when the other was captain he threw the other out when he would have been selected.

There are many other instances.”

The PCB view the drastic measures as crucial to the future of the national team.

However, former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq believes the PCB have made the wrong move.

“What sort of message are we delivering to the world by taking such decisions at a time when nobody is agreeing to come to Pakistan to play cricket?” Inzamam said.

Sticky Wicket
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif suggested the cricket chiefs had made the calls to hide their own failings.

He added: “This is not the way to improve things in Pakistan cricket.

“I am getting a feeling that the board has taken these decisions to save themselves after poor performances and controversies.”

Perhaps in an effort to cover their own backs, the PCB insisted their had little choice but to make such a big deal.

“The recommendations of the committee will go a long way to arrest the continuing decline Pakistan cricket and improve the state of cricket in Pakistan,” continued the PCB statement.

Explaining the situation surrounding Younus and Yousuf, the PCB’s legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi said:
“They will not be part of any Pakistan team in any format from here on.

A life ban means they cannot play domestic cricket or any other similar cricket, but we are not stopping them from that.” And, in yet another twist, the PCB’s media manager Nadeem Sawar disputed the suggestion that the two had been banned.

“If you look at the media release, we have not used the word ban, but merely stated that these players would not be part of the national team in the future,” he said.

“(But) at this stage, it would seem that their international career is over.

They will not be playing international cricket.

“The PCB believes team discipline is essential and it does not matter whether the players are senior or junior.

“As for the morale of the team being low ahead of the World Twenty20, I on the contrary think that the morale of the other players will be up.”

While Younus and Yousuf have been hit for six, Shahid Afridi has been bowled a half volley despite his cheating antics.

The PCB decided to fine the Twenty20 king $35,500 and put him on six months probation after he was caught by TV cameras biting the ball during the final one-day match in Perth, claiming he had “brought the game and country into disrepute” and his conduct will be monitored.

Two other players - brothers Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal - were also fined and put on probation for their antics leading up to the final Test in Australia when Kamran publicly stated he would play despite the PCB saying he would be dropped, while Umar feigned injury and threatened to pull out of the match.