With a record like his, why was Younus Khan excluded from the PSL?


Having said that, this PSL is going to be without Younus Khan, the former World T20 winning captain and still one of the fittest players in Pakistan cricket

Younus’s past year or so has been loaded with Test runs along with outbursts in the media, thus he has every reason to be disappointed

He was the man who led Pakistan to a World title in this format in 2009 after terming T20 cricket as “fun” cricket at the start of the tournament

At the end of the tournament, that win meant so much to him that he retired from T20 internationals

However, he did return to the format in late 2010 and played under the captaincy of Shahid Afridi in a bid to get maximum match practice before the 2011 World Cup, as he had missed a lot of matches from late 2009 to 2010

He also fulfilled his wish of retiring on his own terms from ODIs recently

Although he is rightly called a legend and Pakistan’s most successful Test batsman, he is criticised for his batting in the limited-overs formats

It is true that he may not have the six-hitting power of Afridi or Misbahul Haq, but there are many other players picked in the PSL who are not as good as Younus, even in T20s

His T20 average and strike rate are way better than Azhar Ali’s, and add to that his vast experience, fitness, running between the wickets and fielding makes him beyond comparison

And rightly so, he does not like to be compared

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Reuters[/caption] Having said that, his disappointment is justified as he has hardly missed any domestic game, and unfortunately, now he has to miss the first PSL

We should remember his dedication when it comes to participating in all formats in domestic cricket

He gives his 100 per cent when playing for his department or region in any part of Pakistan

He is currently playing for United Bank and has hit 197

His last T20 innings was an unbeaten 31 off 18 balls for Abbottabad

Hence, for Younus, it is not easy to digest having no role in the PSL when his seniors are in the management and his juniors are playing

It can be argued that picking players is more of a business decision and no one is bound to buy players out of respect

That aside, he has had an uneasy encounter with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on this issue as well

He lashed out for not being invited by the PCB at the PSL launch ceremony, claiming it’s a clear message that he will not be a part of PSL

Although he was named in the platinum category, he was unhappy for not being named as an icon player and was expecting to be named as a captain or a mentor for one of the franchise

Apart from Younus, it was not so pleasing to see players like Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Razzaq being named in the supplementary category

Even Umar Gul, the most successful fast bowler in T20 internationals, was in the gold category

Legends like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were not on the priority lists of buyers, because these players would be giving preference to Masters Cricket League (MCL) over PSL

It’s understandable that it’s not easy to strike a balance on picking big names of international cricket, players who would be available throughout, giving local youngsters an opportunity, trying players to see who is best for selection for Pakistan and achieving the commercial benefits

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Reuters[/caption] However, the debate of curtailing player power and giving players their due respect is still unsettled in Pakistan cricket regardless of whoever is responsible

Undoubtedly, a player like Younus Khan deserves some kind of a role in the exhilarating league



Date:25-Dec-2015 Reference:View Original Link