Younus will be missed: Afridi

Afridi said Wednesday he wanted Younus Khan for the England tour but issues of disciplinary problems came in the way.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said on Wednesday that he wanted senior batsman Younus Khan to be picked in the squad for the upcoming tour of England but issues ranging from lack of match-practice to past disciplinary problems came in the way.

According to PTI, Afridi said he did pick the touring squad by himself. It was selected jointly by him, the coach and the national selection committee.

"I wanted Younus to be in the team but besides the issue of his recent form there was also a bit of a disciplinary issue with Younus," Afridi said in an interview.

Afridi, who stood out in the Asia Cup with his two blazing hundreds against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh despite Pakistan failing to quality for the final, said he was satisfied with the team selection despite the criticism from some quarters.

"One must understand I don’t alone pick the team. The input of the coach and selectors is also involved in this process."

Afridi also made it clear that pacer Shoaib Akhtar was recalled to the team for the Asia Cup only to play in one day internationals and Twenty20 cricket.

"We don`t want to waste him or damage his remaining career by playing him in test cricket," Afridi said.

The all-rounder felt he managed to shine individually at the Asia Cup as he did not allow the pressure of captaincy to get to him.

"The truth is that in the Twenty20 World Cup, I had taken the pressure of captaincy which affected my individual form as well but this time I focused on my own performances," he said.

Afridi who will return to Test cricket, against Australia, in July after a four-year gap said he was satisfied with the performance of his players in the Asia Cup.