The Pakistan cricket team is facing a rift ahead of the third and final Test beginning in Bangalore on Saturday with vice-captain Younis Khan and senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf refusing to lead the team in the decisive match in place of an injured Shoaib Malik.
Sources in the Pakistan team in Bangalore told PTI on Thursday night that efforts were being made by the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the team management to convince Younis to change his mind.
Top PCB officials, including Director (cricket operations) Zakir Khan, Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer, and manager Talat Ali are in Bangalore trying to convince Younis to change his mind and save Pakistan cricket from an embarrassing situation, a source said.
However, Pakistan team manager Ehsan Malik insisted that Younis would lead the side in the third test and 'there is no truth in reports that he has declined to be the captain.'
Younis had led the side in the drawn second Test in Kolkata.
The source said to make matters worse, Mohammad Yousuf too indicated that he did not want captaincy.
The whole episode appears to be a spin-off from a recent incident when the team management asked for uncapped pacer Abdul Rauf to be sent to India but Naghmi and Zakir stuck to their guns and insisted on sending Rao Iftikhar, the source said.
The source said Younis had expressed his unhappiness with the attitude of the team management and did not want to be dictated too.
Younis had last year also refused to lead the side in the Champions Trophy at the last moment and earlier this year after the World Cup did not accept an offer to become the captain following the retirement of Inzamam-ul-Haq.
