Waqar wants PCB to make reasons of ban public

Pakistan's new head coach Waqar Younis on Wednesday said that the cricket board must have valid reasons to hand indefinite ban on senior players Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan but they should be made public.

Waqar, who was last week appointed as the coach of the national team, said the decisions of the board had come as a big shock to him.

"They were tough decisions but I think the board had a valid reason for taking them. These are big decisions that are initially hard to digest for anyone," he said.

The former Test captain, who was the bowling and fieldling coach on the recent tour of Australia and has replaced Intikhab Alam at the helm, said that the board should give reasons for taking the disciplinary action.

"I think the players, their fans and public have a right to know what were the reasons for taking these strong decisions. It will also clear any controversy and issues," Waqar said from Australia.

The PCB said it had imposed an indefinite ban on Yousuf and Younus as their infighting had had a bad influence on the team during their tour of Australia.

It also announced 12-month ban on Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved and fines of three million rupees each on Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal and two million on Umar Akmal.

The board had also placed Shahid and Kamran under a six month prohibition period and said if they break any clause of the players code of conduct during this time they would face severe punishments.

The PCB took the action based on the recommendations of an inquiry committee that was formed to look into causes of poor performances in Australia and into reports of infighting in the team.

The new coach said that he would find it particularly difficult to find replacements of Yousuf and Younus for the tough Test schedule before the 2011 World Cup. 

"Obviously it is not going to be easy replacing Yousuf or Younus because they are quality batsmen with batting averages of 50 which is rare these days," he said. 

Yousuf and Younus were not included in the preliminary list of 30 players for the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies but Malik and Rana both featured there. 

Abdul Raquib, who was the team manager on the tours to New Zealand and Australia and whose report and testimony before the inquiry committee is said to have played a big role in influencing the recommendations, said he was happy that Younis was not banned for life. 

"I am happy to know the board has now said it is not a life ban because I don't think Younus deserved a life ban. He just played the one-dayers in Australia so what was the reason for such harsh action against him," Raquib said. 

Sources said Raquib had told the inquiry committee that Younus had also fallen a victim of conspiracy and intrigues by a particular group of players who wanted to run things their way in the team.