"Even grocery vendors and fruit sellers know" - Younis Khan slams PCB for failing to understand the correct candidate for Pakistan captaincy
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has called the PCB out for failing to recognize the correct candidate for captaincy. The ex middle-order batter believes that the grocery vendors and fruit sellers would have a better understanding of the game than the PCB.
The last couple of years have seen the men's team undergo several captaincy changes. Babar Azam had stepped down as white-ball captain after the 2023 World Cup, but was back in the role after Shaheen Shah Afridi led the T20 side only in one series.
Speaking to reporters in a media interaction, Younis said he is keen to train the players and is surprised that the PCB has overlooked him. As quoted by cricketpakistan.pk, he said:
"It feels like sometimes the PCB doesn’t know its own identity. Even grocery vendors and fruit sellers know who should be the captain and coach, but it seems like the PCB doesn’t. Players like me shouldn’t be kept away from the PCB. I’m willing to train players for free if it helps improve the domestic structure."
The 46-year-old also pointed out PCB's misjudgement due to biasness.
"If someone isn’t suited for a role, they shouldn’t be there. People in the PCB need to let go of selfishness, and captains shouldn’t be appointed just because they agree with certain people. Decisions should be based on merit, not personal preferences."
With Shan Masood losing his first five Tests as captain, reports indicate that he could be replaced ahead of the England series. Babar could also lose captaincy after overseeing Pakistan's forgettable T20 World Cup campaign this year.
"I scored 10,000 runs in my career, and I believe Babar Azam can score 15,000" - Younis Khan
Younis went on to advise Babar to focus on his game and steer clear of off-field controversies if he wants to score a truckload of runs. Citing Virat Kohli's example, he said:
"Babar Azam was made captain because he was the best performer. To become an even better player, he needs to stay away from controversies and focus on his game. There are bigger things than captaincy, and Babar must decide what's important for him. I scored 10,000 runs in my career, and I believe Babar Azam can score 15,000."
"He just needs to focus on his performance, like Virat Kohli did when he stepped down from captaincy to concentrate on his game," Younis added.
Babar had a forgettable Test series against Bangladesh, registering a best of 31 in four innings.