Younis' removal evokes mixed reaction

Former captains have given a mixed reaction to the appointment of Mohammad Yousuf as Pakistan captain and Kamran Akmal as his deputy for the forthcoming Test tour of New Zealand, after incumbent Younis Khan decided to skip the tour.

Pakistan's most capped player, Inzamam-ul-Haq who led a strong campaign to remove Younis from captaincy, said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had taken a wise decision and should now appoint Yousuf as the skipper on long-term basis.

"It is not fair to name someone as senior as Yousuf as captain for just one series. I think it is best for Pakistan cricket if Yousuf is appointed captain until next World Cup," Inzamam said.

"A captain's foremost job is to keep the players unified and Yousuf can do this. The good results follow on the field.

"Unfortunately Younis had lost the confidence of players and admitted himself that some players were not happy with him," Inzamam noted.

Inzamam said every player had a right to decide if he wanted to rest from a particular series and Younis was not an exception. "But I think it would have been better if Younis had gone to New Zealand and then decided to drop himself from the team because of poor form. He has not sent out the right message as captain by moving away like this," Inzamam added.

Former captain Rashid Latif said if Younis had decided to himself skip the New Zealand series it was a wise decision. "If he has done that he has done the right thing, because he was not in the right frame of mind at the moment to focus on his captaincy or batting.

"But if the board has removed him on pressure from some players, then this will have a negative impact on Pakistan cricket in near future," Latif said.

Former Test spinner and ex-chief selector Abdul Qadir felt Yousuf and Akmal were the best people to lead Pakistan until the next World Cup.

"Yousuf is the senior most player and should have been named captain soon after Inzamam-ul-Haq retired. But at least now the board has taken a correct decision and they should now appoint him on long term basis," he said.

Qadir hoped that Yousuf's appointment would bring in stability in the team. "But the tours to New Zealand and Australia are not going to be easy at all," he said.

He pointed out that Younis still remained a class player for Pakistan and was required in the Test side. "He is a certain selection in the Test team but I think his performances in ODIs and T20 cricket are debatable," Qadir said.

Former Test opener and captain Aamer Sohail said the decision to change the captain was a bad sign for Pakistan cricket.

"It just shows how weak this board is. I just hope things improve but having observed these things it seems matters will only get more complicated.

"If Younis was named captain until the next World Cup, the PCB Chairman should have backed him at all costs and told him to tour New Zealand," Sohail said.

Former batsman Basit Ali described the circumstances that led to the change of leadership as sad for Pakistan cricket.

"What else can one say. I think the change has come about because of player's pressure. But this is not good for Pakistan cricket. This issue will not end here it will keep on happening again because the board is not taking strong decisions," he said.

Basit pointed out that when Shoaib Malik was captain, some players were not happy with him and it happened with Younis as well. "How can one expect Pakistan cricket to run like this," he questioned.