Younis, Yousuf refuse to lead Pak in 3rd Test

Although Younis is said to be 'unhappy with the management', team manager Ehsan Malik said 'he has not declined to be the captain'.

The Pakistan cricket team on Thursday night faced a rift ahead of the third and final Test begining 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 said 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 right now trying to convince Younis to change his mind and save the Pakistan cricket from an embarrassing situation, a source said.

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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 tTest in Kolkata.

The source said to make matters worse, Yousuf also indicated he didn not want captaincy.

The whole episode appears to be a spin off from a recent incident, where 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 said he was not happy with the attitude of the team management and did not want to be dictated too.

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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 captain following the retirement of Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Younis had scored a match saving century in the Kolkata Test.