Sohail backs Younus as skipper for England tour

Published Mon, May 24 10 10:22 PM

Karachi, May 24 (PTI) After National Assembly Committee on Sports recommendations to PCB to review bans and fines imposed on seven players, former captain Aamir Sohail today backed the appointment of Younus Khan as skipper for the Test series in England starting next month. While recommending to review the bans and fines on the players, National Assembly committee chairman Iqbal Muhammad Khan told reporters in Islamabad that Younus and Mohammed Yousuf -- who was handed an indefinite ban -- have been not been treated fairly in the inquiry committee probe outcome. Sohail said on a television channel that injustice had been done to Younus when the board slapped an indefinite ban on him after the disastrous tour of Australia early this year. "There is no doubt that Younus was unfairly treated and the Board should now first of all select him again in the team and I would suggest he should be made captain for the Test series in England," Sohail said. The former Test opener, who was also chief selector, made his comments after hearing the NA committee recommendations. Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt, who attended the hearing promptly agrees to review the ban and fines on the seven players. Sohail said Younus was a proven performer in all forms of the game and had an excellent record in Test matches. In March, the PCB acted on the recommendations of a probe committee that looked into the national team''s poor show in Australia and imposed indefinite bans on Younus and Yousuf and 12 month ban and fine of two million rupees each on Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved. The board also fined Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal three million rupees each and Umar Akmal two million rupees for violation of code of conduct during the Australian tour. The PCB is due to announce the captain for next month''s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and England tour on Tuesday after a meeting of the selection committee. Butt told reporters in Islamabad that the Board was yet to decide if there would be one captain for all three formats of the game or separate captains. "We have not decided as yet but we will be announcing a shortlist of 30 players for Asia Cup and England as we need to have their travel visas arranged beforehand," he said. PCB sources said Younus is not certain to be recalled to the team for England tour and the selectors were not in favour of asking Yousuf to take back his retirement decision. "Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved will also remain out of the team for the time being," one source told PTI. Former Test captain Rashid Latif also backed the return of Younus to the national team. "He is your best player in test matches and his presence and experience is required in England," he said.

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