Mohammed Yousuf, Younus khan banned for life in PCB crackdown
CRICKETERS Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan have been thrown out of the Pakistan team and banned for life in an amazing crackdown on player discipline by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The former captains were accused of being a “bad influence” on the team during Pakistan’s recent tour of Australia where they failed to win a single match.
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s hero in the Twenty20 World Cup in England last year, was accused of bringing “the game and country into disrepute” after he was caught on camera ball tampering during the tour and was fined and placed on probation for six months.
Kamran Akamal and Umar Akmal were also cited for breach of discipline and fined, while Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik were fined and banned for a year.
The punishments come off recommendations made to the PCB by an Inquiry Committee set up to examine the factors behind Pakistan dismal tour of Australia.
The PCB said they had accepted the recommendations “in totality”.
During the course of the investigation the Committee examined “personal accounts of the team management and players and examination of record, videos and statistics.”
Announcing their final judgement, the unanimous recommendations of the Committee are as follows:
• Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan keeping in view their infighting which resulted in bringing down the whole team, their attitude has a trickledown effect which is a bad influence for the whole team should not be part of national team in any format.
• The shameful act of Shahid Khan Afridi, which has brought the game and country into disrepute, he be fined Rupees Three Million (£23,800). A warning be issued to him by the Chairman PCB and he be put on probation for 6 months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored.
• Kamran Akamal be fined Rupees Three Million (£23,800). A warning be issued to him by the Chairman PCB and he be put on probation for 6 months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored.
• Umar Akmal be fined Rupees Two Million (£15,000). A warning be issued to him by the Chairman PCB and he be put on probation for 6 months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored.
• Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik be fined Rupees Two Million (£15,000). They should not be part of national team in any format for a period of one year.
The punishments will come as a crushing blow to the Pakistan cricket team as they plan the defence of their World Twenty20 crown in the Caribbean next month.
The team will also travel to England this summer.
But the PCB were unapologetic about the severity of the punishments handed down saying they would “go a long way to arrest the continuing decline of Pakistan cricket and improve the state of cricket in Pakistan.”
The goings-on in the Pakistan team have never been too far from the glare of the newspapers and media outlets.
Younis Khan quit as Pakistan captain twice last year following reports of match-fixing during their successful World Twenty20 campaign in England. Although the accusations were never proven, there were reports the real reason lay in player unrest headed by Shahid Afridi over his style of leadership.
His replacement – Mohammad Yousuf – found life at the top equally as tough.
He became embroiled in war of words with teammate Shoaib Malik during the tour of Australia with the duo using the media to trade insults. The row led for calls for both players to be axed.
And if that wasn’t enough, Pakistan’s biggest embarrassment during the tour of Australia came via the actions of Shahid Afridi who was caught on camera biting into the ball during an ODI game in Perth.
He was banned for two matches by the ICC.
