Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Younis takes over Pak captaincy


The Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly relieved Shoaib Malik of captaincy duties and handed the reins to batsman Younis Khan.

Malik's position as skipper hung in the balance after his side crashed to a humiliating defeat to Sri Lanka in a three-match one-day series last week.

The 234-run loss in the final match in Lahore was Pakistan's biggest ever in terms of runs and prompted calls from several former players to sack Malik.

The PCB demanded an explanation from the team management for the defeat and chairman Ijaz Butt indicated a decision would be made only after deliberating on the team report.

But just weeks after being retained as captain for an indefinite period, the PCB has decided to move on.

According to Pakistani television reports, Younus met with Butt this morning and has accepted the task.

"Younus has agreed to lead the side," Geo TV quoted a PCB source as saying.

Younus was vice-captain of the Pakistan team under Inzamam-ul-Haq and was seen as the natural choice once Inzamam stepped down following the first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

But the 31-year-old at that point refused the captaincy, saying he did not want the added pressure.

His stand forced the PCB to turn to Malik - a much younger and less experienced leader.

Malik faced criticism throughout his two-year term, but his reign was nevertheless extended at the start of last month.

Malik's most significant win was a 3-0 ODI triumph over West Indies in Abu Dhabi late last year.

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