Younis quits captaincy

Drama and controversy seem to be as much a part of Younus Khan's captaincy as the actual cricket is. Vehemently denying that it has nothing to do with Pakistan's narrow 7-run defeat against New Zealand in Tuesday's final ODI in Abu Dhabi, Younus announced his resignation as captain of Pakistan's national cricket team, saying he needs to rest. Maybe Younus feels he needs a rest not just from the physical game, but also from all the politics and turmoil that has been following him for months. This latest move has a 'last straw' quality to it. Younus has had his captaincy marred with trouble since he replaced Shoaib Malik, following Pakistan's defeat in a home one-day series against Sri Lanka this January. More recently, he handed over his resignation in angry protest against allegations of match-fixing and deliberate under-performance in the team's Champions Trophy losses against Australia and New Zealand. Though the Pakistan Cricket Board rejected his resignation and Younus later came around, seemingly enthused by his fans' support with him continuing as captain, there were atleast eight or nine players in the current squad who had been unhappy with Younis as captain for a while, and had made their concerns clear to PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt, immediately after the Champions Trophy.

All along, there has been a steady rift growing between Younus and various players on the team. Now he gives up his captaincy and takes a break from the game as well, acceding to the loss of confidence he feels from his team members in his leadership, made worse by his recent poor performance in the Cool & Cool Cup series against New Zealand in UAE (0, 9, and 13 runs in the ODI's). Effectively, after Younis informed the Butt of his decision, it signaled a victory for player power over an unpopular captain. The PCB immediately named senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf , as a one-time stand-in captain to lead the side in a three-Test series in New Zealand beginning later this month. Kamran Akmal, the wicketkeeper, will be his deputy. Younis' immediate future is yet unclear. It is believed that he wants to continue playing international cricket and will return to Pakistan and play some domestic cricket to set himself up for the Australia tour, beginning at the end of December. A return to captaincy seems highly improbable; neither is the PCB likely to offer it to him, having been burnt so many times, nor is he likely to take it up, given his experience this time round. Pakistan will leave UAE on Sunday to play the three Tests in New Zealand, the first of which is scheduled on November 25, in Dunedin.