Younis Khan is regarded as one of the greatest Pakistan batsmen of all time. The right-handed batter was crucial in Pakistan’s cricket structure for more than a decade. He is the first batsman from his country to score 10,000 Test runs while also scoring 7249 runs in ODI cricket. However, despite being one of the most prolific batsmen of his generation, Khan was subjected to some unstable times during his captaincy. Younis was removed as the captain of the Pakistan cricket team in 2009 due to a players’ revolt. Younis was succeeded by Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi as captain of Pakistan’s Test and limited-overs side.
“If the players had problems with me they could have spoken to me. They claimed that they didn’t want me removed as captain but just wanted the cricket board to speak to me to change my attitude. Then how is it that when the player (s) met with the then PCB Chairman, Ejaz Butt one senior player, apparently Afridi demanded the captain be changed. To me it was about captaincy ambitions,” Younis
Younis also talked about his abrupt ODI retirement in 2016 where he states that he had already decided to hang his boots after not being selected in the playing XI for two years.
« It was not abrupt at all. I had made a decision beforehand I would retire from ODIs as I was not selected in the ODI eleven for the last two years.”
« On the night before the match chief selector, Haroon Rasheed called me and I told him I was thinking about retirement from ODIs and he turned around and told me rudely that it was up to me but he had got me selected for the series against England and I (Younis) should just listen to the team management and play as they wanted. I was very upset with his tone and that is why I announced my retirement the next morning,” Younis said.
Younis recently stepped down as Pakistan’s batting coach in a surprise decision which the cricket board said was agreed upon « reluctantly but amicably » even though no reasons were specified for it.
