PCB officials, former players annoyed over Younis Khan's plan to return to T20

Lahore, November 5: Pakistan cricket captain Younis Khan’s decision to come out of retirement to play T20 cricket once again has not gone down well with the country’s cricket fraternity, with both officials and former players criticising Khan for expressing his desire to play in the fast paced version of the game.

Barely four months after he bid adieu to T20 cricket after leading his team to win the coveted ICC T20 World Championship in England, Khan, recently, said he is ready to be a part of the national T20 squad if his teammates wanted him to do so.

However, his remarks have irked some of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials and former players.

“What is Younus trying to do? Create more discord in the team? What is the necessity of such statements so soon after a major crisis has been averted in Pakistan cricket?” a board official said, on conditions of anonymity.

“It is no secret that Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik and a couple of other players had complained about Younis to the PCB chief after Champions Trophy but the he pacified them and instead rejected Younis’s resignation and asked him to continue as captain till the 2011 World Cup,” he added.

Khan, who is currently in Dubai for the three match one-day series against New Zealand, said he is ready to come out of retirement to play in the two T20 games against the Kiwis.

“If team needs me and since matches are to be held in Dubai, it will be nice to play here,” Khan said, however, the PCB has already clarified that he cannot be given a place in the T20 squad against the Kiwis, as the team has already been announced.

A former Test captain has advised Khan to concentrate on his batting in Test and one-day cricket rather than playing in the latest version of the game.

“It is better for him if he just focuses on his own performances which are important for his tenure as captain,” The Nation quoted the ex-captain, as saying.

Khan has been going through, what is being described as the most woeful patch in his career.

He managed just 53 runs in the Champions Trophy and was out for a duck in the first match of the three match series against New Zealand currently underway in the United Arab of Emirates (UAE).