Younus Khan and PCB — a match not made in heaven

Younus Khan is an integral part of Pakistan’s Test team and the first name in the playing eleven; his immediate future in the format is incredibly secured.

Only six consecutive ducks in the three-match series against England can possibly halt his run in the longest format, where his tally of 30 centuries is already a Pakistan record by a distance.

Nineteen more runs would take him past Javed Miandad as the highest run accumulator in Pakistan’s Test history, with his current 54.07 average also topping the pile. Moreover, his second-innings achievements make him one of the greatest ever.

Simply put, Younus at present is a Pakistan eleven Test certainty and it is a no-brainer.

On the contrary, things aren’t that straightforward in the ODI format; Younus has been dispensed with from the format after a futile World Cup.

The 37-year-old refuses to read the writing on the wall and has openly expressed his desire of donning the green.

A man known for his integrity, honesty and commitment to the game refuses to acknowledge that in his last 11 ODIs since August 2014, he has aggregated 226 runs at an average of 20.54 runs. The tally includes one hundred and six single-figure scores.

After the ‘Banglawash’ in April, the Pakistan ODI team has gained considerable success under Azhar Ali in the subsequent skirmishes against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. The batting stocks in the middle-order are rich, with Mohammad Hafeez occupying the number three spot.

Sarfraz Ahmed batted gainfully at number four against Sri Lanka, with Shoaib Malik enjoying a Bradmanesque run at number four and five since his comeback — averaging 84.85 in eight ODIs, May 2015 onwards.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan is a breath of fresh air with his livewire approach at number six.

Sohaib Maqsood, Haris Sohail and Babar Azam and Imad Wasim are potent backups for this impressive line-up and almost all of these players have time on their hands.

An extended and uninterrupted run can shape this middle-order into a world-class one, well in time for the 2019 World Cup.

At 37, Younus is most certainly not a spring chicken anymore, and if the selectors can clear their heads, they can convey to the stalwart that his ODI career is as good as over and that his aim should be to bat on and on in the Test format for at least two more years.

But the national selection committee led by Haroon Rasheed is perhaps to be blamed equally for the Younus furore.

Haroon and his team met Younus on the sidelines of the recent National T20 at the Rawalpindi Stadium with an aim of reaching a compromise with Younus on his ODI ambitions.

Instead, the grapevine is that they ended up offering him a graceful exit from the format in the Zimbabwe series. Younus refused, the selectors didn’t select him and while the merit of their decision can’t be questioned, their muddled approach triggered a most unnecessary controversy.

Why can’t Haroon and co tell Younus that his ODI career is over? At the same time, what is keeping Younus from acknowledging that his hard-earned reputation of the ‘ultimate team man’ is set to take a massive hit if he continues to whine for an ODI berth when he simply doesn’t deserve one?

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) didn’t do itself any favours either by embroiling in the Younus-PSL-invite gaffe. If millions were being spent on ‘chartering’ showbiz celebrities over to Lahore from all over the country, the logistics department should have had the sense of making the necessary travel arrangements for Younus too.

All in all, the last week or so has once again undermined the pitfalls of some of the most longstanding PCB officials and their inability of tackling a temperamental superstar.

Perhaps both parties need to cool it off and settle their differences at a hill station in the Northern areas.

And one hopes that the PCB would not forget to send Younus, the air-fare and ticket.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2015.

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