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PCB end Yousuf and Younus’ Pakistan careers

Former captains Younus Khan and Muhammad Yousuf will no longer be considered for selection by the PCB after an inquiry into reports of infighting on the disastrous tour of Australia.

The PCB chose to implement the recommendations of an inquiry committee to also hand out 12-month bans to Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved and fine Shahid Afridi and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal three million rupees ($35,000) and Umar Akmal two million ($24,000).

“Mohammed Yousuf and Younus Khan... attitude has a trickledown effect which is a bad influence for the whole team (and they) should not be part of (the) national team in any format,” the PCB said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The recommendations of the inquiry committee will go a long way in arresting the continuing decline in Pakistan cricket.”

Pakistan lost every match against Australia in their three-test, five one-day and solo Twenty20 series.

PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt told reporters in Lahore the board planned to impose the severe penalties.

“We are going to stick to these decisions we have taken after much thought,” he said.

Butt added the board would adopt its future line of action when and if any player decided to appeal against his punishment.

“The fact is the former players and cricket community has supported our strong action,” he added.

But the disciplinary clampdown on players brought protesters out in Hyderabad city where they burned bats and held a demonstration.

REBUILD SIDE

The decision by the PCB left new head coach Waqar Younis shocked and left to try and rebuild a side for the defence of their Twenty20 World Cup title in West Indies in April.

“I will be talking to the board about this and see what happens,” Younis told reporters from Australia.

The selectors are due to meet this week to announce the 15-member squad for the World Cup and the board will also announce a new captain.

While Yousuf and Younis were not named in the preliminary squad of 30 players for the event, Malik and Rana featured in it.

“I want to know what I did wrong,” Rana told Reuters. “I will be consulting with my people before deciding any future line of action.”

The PCB said the six-member inquiry committee, headed by its chief operating officer Wasim Bari, had based its recommendations on information gathered during several hearings with the players and reports from the team management.

Tafazzul Rizvi, who sat on the inquiry team, told Reuters that Yousuf and Younus had the right to appeal and former captain Rashid Latif expected them to win their cases.

“You can’t hand out such severe punishments to players of the calibre of Yousuf and Younus Khan,” Latif told Reuters.

Another former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was also scathing of the decision.

“Why was action not taken earlier against these players? why did the board keep quiet for so long when the team was on tour?” Inzamam told Reuters.