KARACHI: The ever reliable middle-order great of Pakistan, Younus Khan, has expressed his desire to captain the Pakistan team one more time before his departure from the game.
Younus, who is 37, maintained that he could still contribute in the one-day format as well, if need be. He said that he wanted to finish his career in the role of captain of the national team.
“If I get a chance to lead the Test team I will definitely accept the challenge once again,” Younus said
Younus Khan is a veteran of the game and has many laurels attached to his name, including the player who has scored the highest Test one-hundreds for Pakistan.
In 2009, Younus was captaining the team in all three formats however, due a rebellion within the team against him he was forced to abdicate his position during a series against New Zealand in UAE.
Since 2009 also happened to be the year in which Younus achieved his greatest feat as captain by leading the Pakistani team to victory in the T20, the resistance towards his captaincy by his teammates severely demotivated him.
He decided to take some time off from the sport as Mohammad Yousuf became the new captain and later Shahid Afridi took over the reins for the shorter formats.
Younus said that leading the national side is an honour for any senior player, one which he would like to experience again as the Test captain. He went on to add that the constant comparisons between him and the current captain, Misbah-ul-Haq were not entirely fair.
“I should not be compared to Misbah I am more senior and experienced than him. I am also four years younger than him and my style of playing is more aggressive,” Younus said.
Younus also spoke about Pakistan’s current standing in one-day cricket and stated that if the team did not meet the requirements for the 2017 Champions Trophy then the national selectors should be questioned.
“If we don’t qualify for the Champions Trophy than questions should be asked off the selectors not players.”
Younus also called for more consistency and stability in Pakistan cricket.
Earlier this month, Younus received some well-deserved praises from all quarters due to his brilliant performance of 171 not out in the second innings of the third Test against Sri Lanka, which led Pakistan to a record breaking win against the Lankans.
