Experts Moin Khan and Iqbal Qasim blame PCB boss Ijaz Butt for ignoring Younis Khan
With the announcement for the One-Day International and Twenty20 squads against England, the Pakistan cricket selectors have once again ignored former captain Younis Khan for reasons better known to them. Not only is he one of the few players who have the experience of playing county cricket in England, he is also the most sought out one-down batsman in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 cricket setup.
The national selectors, headed by former test opener Mohsin Khan, announced a 16-member team for the Twenty20 and One-Day series against England next month, and the most notable omission from the squad was former skipper Younis Khan. Another former captain Shoaib Malik was axed due to poor performance; the all-rounder rarely made an impact since his return to the side this year.
The selectors, however, retained veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf in the squad, who just four months back was considered a negative influence. Alongside Younis, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Yousuf was banned after the disastrous Australian tour, yet he managed to make a comeback without even challenging the ban!
Those who earned a controversial recall include the Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar, who is clearly past his prime and playing on his past performance than his current form. While his presence will boost the bowling attack as well as help the newcomers in the side, same could have been said of Younis http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 but also the newcomers like Azhar Ali and Umar Akmal.
Former and current cricketers criticised the Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128 for refusing to let go of his ego for the sake of cricket. Former captain Moin Khan blasted Ijaz Butt for ignoring such an experienced batsman, terming it a decision based on personal dislikes, than anything else. "I am shocked with the treatment meted out to Younis Khan by PCB chairman Ijaz Butt,” Moin said in an interview. “Chief selector Mohsin Khan must also share the blame because he could have influenced the chairman, had he been sincere to Pakistan cricket.”
Moin added that by opting for youngsters over Younis, the duo has denied Pakistan a chance to field a strong team and increase their chances ahead of the 2011 World Cup. He even suggested that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohsin-c77587 should resign from the post of chief selector, if he can’t even convince the arrogant PCB Chairman to keep the best interests of Pakistan cricket at heart.
Former chief selector Iqbal Qasim told a local television that with the World Cup just six months away, Pakistan should have recalled Younis Khan, who is better than any batsmen in the national team, barring Mohammad Yousuf. “I believe that by not selecting Younis Khan, the board has committed a mistake they would later regret. The World Cup will begin in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in February next year and we should have included Younis in the side since he is an excellent batsman and his services would be required in the mega event.”
Moin Khan feels the board is being run as a one-man show, and that is one of the reasons that Pakistan hasn’t been able to do consistently well. “Younis could have been recalled because the indefinite ban imposed on him by the board was revoked by the appellate tribunal.” Moin said. “By not recalling him, the PCB chief has shown his intentions to the world. If he had forgiven other players like Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik, why hasn’t he pardoned the skipper who lead Pakistan to World Cup triumph!” asked Moin.
Pakistan will play two Twenty20 matches and 5 One-Day Internationals against England in September, while in October-November, they will host http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 to play Tests, One-Dayers and Twenty20 matches and will stay Down Under till February, reaching the subcontinent just days before the 2011 World Cup.
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