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Mohammad Yousuf - Source: Reuters
Former captains Younus Khan and Muhammad Yousuf had their
international futures cast aside and then restored just as quickly
after the Pakistan Cricket Board backtracked on its decision to ban
the two players.
Earlier on Thursday, the PCB said the two "should not be part of
the team in any format" following reports of in-fighting during the
unsuccessful tour of Australia ending last month.
The decision prompted protesters in Hyderabad to burn bats in a
brief demonstration but a few hours later the PCB clarified its
position saying there was no timeframe on the bans imposed on the
two.
"The PCB wishes to clarify that the recommendation of the committee
is not a life ban on these cricketers," the PCB's second statement
of the day said.
"There is no specified term in the recommendation for these two
players. As and when the PCB deems appropriate, these players will
be considered for selection for the national team."
The official change of stance came hours after it announced Younus
and Yousuf would no longer be considered for selection after an
inquiry into Pakistan's defeat in every match of their three-test,
five one-day and Twenty20 series in Australia.
Bad influence
The PCB handed out 12-month bans to Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved and
fined Shahid Afridi and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal three million
rupees and Umar Akmal two million.
"Muhammad Yousuf and Younus Khan's... attitude has a trickledown
effect which is a bad influence for the whole team (and they)
should not be part of (the) national team in any format," the PCB
said in its earlier statement on Thursday.
The initial decision by the PCB left new head coach Waqar Younis
shocked and left to try and rebuild a side for the defence of their
Twenty20 World Cup title in West Indies in April.
"I will be talking to the board about this and see what happens,"
Younis told reporters from Australia.
The selectors are due to meet this week to announce the 15-member
squad for the World Cup and the board will also announce a new
captain.
While Yousuf and Younis were not named in the preliminary squad of
30 players for the event, Malik and Rana were.
"I want to know what I did wrong," Rana told Reuters. "I will be
consulting with my people before deciding any future line of
action."
The PCB said the six-member inquiry committee, headed by its chief
operating officer Wasim Bari, had based its recommendations on
information gathered during several hearings with the players and
reports from the team management.
