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10-21-2009, 07:16 PM
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Pakistan cricket board Chairman Ijaz Butt, left, team's captain Younis Khan, center, and coach Intikhar Alam, right, arrive to appear before a sports committee of the lower house in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009. – AP
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan skipper Younis Khan on Tuesday left the nation shell-shocked when he resigned from captaincy over allegations of match-fixing aimed at his team’s successive defeats against Australia and New Zealand in the recently-concluded Champions Trophy with the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ijaz Butt refusing to accept the same on a day of high drama here in the federal capital.
Younis, who along with the senior management of the PCB was briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Sports on the reasons of defeat, got infuriated by the remarks from NA committee chairman Jamshed Ahmed Dasti after the MNA accused the team of ‘deliberately’ losing the pool match in the ICC Champions Trophy against Australia to push India out of the trophy.
Younis, who took strong exception to the allegations, insisted that their last-ball defeat against the Aussies was definitely not a ‘fixed’ game and to suggest any such thing was preposterous.
He also refuted claims that Pakistan had thrown away their semi-final match against the lowly-ranked New Zealand in the event.
‘It is sad and painful for me and, in fact, I am hiding from my family members after these nasty allegations of match fixing. I have never fixed a match and never will,’ a visibly disturbed Younis informed the committee in an emotional tone. ‘I have brought my resignation with me and all of you [media persons] please put it on record that I have resigned from the captaincy,’ Younis said while flashing the resignation letter.
The surprise move from Younis stunned many in the committee room as the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt immediately reacted by handing the resignation back to Younis.
The legislators, equally shocked by the sudden development, quickly moved to clarify the situation and said that their observations and comments regarding the Pakistan defeats in South Africa were grossly misunderstood by the media and they had never insinuated anything like match-fixing.
Younis, however, appeared unmoved by the NA members’ clarification and said: ‘I am a Pathan and will stand by my words. I am quitting captaincy.’ Mr Dasti, reacting to Younis’ resignation, added: ‘I never accused anyone of match fixing. In fact, we have been misunderstood.’
Younis then went on to suggest to the committee that they must ensure a mechanism which limits direct interaction of the media with the players. ‘There must be some mechanism in place to limit direct contact of players and team with the media,’ he said while indicating how much he was ‘hurt’ by the match-fixing allegations and biased reporting of team affairs in the media during the last few months.
Earlier, Pakistan’s coach Intikhab Alam defended skipper Younis before the legislators over team’s successive defeats in Champions Trophy. ‘The match-fixing accusations are always made by certain group of people with vested interests. It’s very very unfortunate. Why it is only Pakistan which is blamed for match fixing and not other teams?’
He added: ‘This is a whole propaganda campaign planned by the Indian media to malign Pakistani cricket through match fixing allegations. We played to the best of our abilities against the Indians, Australians and even the New Zealanders.’
Intikhab said that a former Indian Test cricketer Bhishen Singh Behdi had talked to me on telephone after the tournament and appreciated our game. ‘I am concerned and also deeply hurt that despite playing good cricket, people are still accusing you of match fixing’, Bedi was quoted as saying by Intikhab.
‘Dropping a solitary catch should not be the measurement level for any player in a defeat and blaming the skipper alone for anything is also unfair’ he said while referring to the dolly catch that was floored by Younis in the match against Kiwis.
Speaking about the pool match against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy, Intikhab said that ‘the Australian manager told us that our team had played very well and hoped to see us in the final.’
Intikhab also suggested to the committee not to react to absurd Indian media stories.
Meanwhile, the NA committee accepted the explanation given by PCB top brass comprising Ijaz Butt, team manager Yawar Saeed, coach Intikhab Alam and outgoing skipper Younis Khan over Pakistan’s performance during the past few months. The NA body also expressed its concern over the poor umpiring in the semi-final and added that that it would write to the ICC about the blunders committed by the umpires in the Trophy matches.
Pakistan cricket board Chairman Ijaz Butt, left, team's captain Younis Khan, center, and coach Intikhar Alam, right, arrive to appear before a sports committee of the lower house in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009. – AP
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan skipper Younis Khan on Tuesday left the nation shell-shocked when he resigned from captaincy over allegations of match-fixing aimed at his team’s successive defeats against Australia and New Zealand in the recently-concluded Champions Trophy with the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ijaz Butt refusing to accept the same on a day of high drama here in the federal capital.
Younis, who along with the senior management of the PCB was briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Sports on the reasons of defeat, got infuriated by the remarks from NA committee chairman Jamshed Ahmed Dasti after the MNA accused the team of ‘deliberately’ losing the pool match in the ICC Champions Trophy against Australia to push India out of the trophy.
Younis, who took strong exception to the allegations, insisted that their last-ball defeat against the Aussies was definitely not a ‘fixed’ game and to suggest any such thing was preposterous.
He also refuted claims that Pakistan had thrown away their semi-final match against the lowly-ranked New Zealand in the event.
‘It is sad and painful for me and, in fact, I am hiding from my family members after these nasty allegations of match fixing. I have never fixed a match and never will,’ a visibly disturbed Younis informed the committee in an emotional tone. ‘I have brought my resignation with me and all of you [media persons] please put it on record that I have resigned from the captaincy,’ Younis said while flashing the resignation letter.
The surprise move from Younis stunned many in the committee room as the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt immediately reacted by handing the resignation back to Younis.
The legislators, equally shocked by the sudden development, quickly moved to clarify the situation and said that their observations and comments regarding the Pakistan defeats in South Africa were grossly misunderstood by the media and they had never insinuated anything like match-fixing.
Younis, however, appeared unmoved by the NA members’ clarification and said: ‘I am a Pathan and will stand by my words. I am quitting captaincy.’ Mr Dasti, reacting to Younis’ resignation, added: ‘I never accused anyone of match fixing. In fact, we have been misunderstood.’
Younis then went on to suggest to the committee that they must ensure a mechanism which limits direct interaction of the media with the players. ‘There must be some mechanism in place to limit direct contact of players and team with the media,’ he said while indicating how much he was ‘hurt’ by the match-fixing allegations and biased reporting of team affairs in the media during the last few months.
Earlier, Pakistan’s coach Intikhab Alam defended skipper Younis before the legislators over team’s successive defeats in Champions Trophy. ‘The match-fixing accusations are always made by certain group of people with vested interests. It’s very very unfortunate. Why it is only Pakistan which is blamed for match fixing and not other teams?’
He added: ‘This is a whole propaganda campaign planned by the Indian media to malign Pakistani cricket through match fixing allegations. We played to the best of our abilities against the Indians, Australians and even the New Zealanders.’
Intikhab said that a former Indian Test cricketer Bhishen Singh Behdi had talked to me on telephone after the tournament and appreciated our game. ‘I am concerned and also deeply hurt that despite playing good cricket, people are still accusing you of match fixing’, Bedi was quoted as saying by Intikhab.
‘Dropping a solitary catch should not be the measurement level for any player in a defeat and blaming the skipper alone for anything is also unfair’ he said while referring to the dolly catch that was floored by Younis in the match against Kiwis.
Speaking about the pool match against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy, Intikhab said that ‘the Australian manager told us that our team had played very well and hoped to see us in the final.’
Intikhab also suggested to the committee not to react to absurd Indian media stories.
Meanwhile, the NA committee accepted the explanation given by PCB top brass comprising Ijaz Butt, team manager Yawar Saeed, coach Intikhab Alam and outgoing skipper Younis Khan over Pakistan’s performance during the past few months. The NA body also expressed its concern over the poor umpiring in the semi-final and added that that it would write to the ICC about the blunders committed by the umpires in the Trophy matches.