KARACHI: Younus Khan’s demotion to B category in the new central contracts has not only been condemned in general, but also by the selection committee members, barring Moin Khan and Mohammad Akram who were part of the process along with Zakir Khan.
HunzaNews, June 7th, 2014
Younus has played 89 Tests, 253 ODIs and 25 T20Is for Pakistan besides leading the country to the World Twenty20 title in 2009.
“Demoting Younus to B category is disrespectful after everything he has done for Pakistan cricket,” one of the selectors told The Express Tribune.
“Even if he has been playing in just one format [Tests] since the past year, he deserved the A category contract because of his seniority and services for Pakistan.
“Zakir has played two Tests and Akram has played only nine and were under-achievers. How can they take such a decision regarding Younus? The whole selection committee should have been involved in the process.”
Meanwhile, another selector stated that Akram is trying to promote his favourite players, with Umar Amin the prime example after he was inducted late in the training camp. The selector termed the inclusion a ‘camouflage’ process in which, according to him, the names of three other players were also announced to avoid criticism.
“There were serious reservations against Amin, but Akram was pushing for his inclusion and now he has got the contract,” explained the official.
He added that both Azhar Ali and Sarfaraz Ahmed deserved to be given better contracts after their heroics against Sri Lanka, when they helped Pakistan win their last Test with a record run-chase.
Senior players embarrassed with Younus treatment
Some of the senior members of the national team admitted that they feel ‘embarrassed’ with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) treatment of Younus, and added that they may officially declare their reservations to the board.
“We feel embarrassed over Younus’ demotion despite being a top performer and the fittest athlete of the [recently concluded] training camp,” said one of the seniors. “The PCB should reconsider his contract because he deserves better treatment.”
Meanwhile, the PCB announced central contracts for 22 players of the women’s team with Sana Mir, Bismah Maroof, Nain Abidi, Sadia Yousaf, Nida Rashid, Batool Fatima, Asmavia Iqbal and Javeria Wadood forming the A category, while Nahida Khan, Qanita Jalil and Sumaiya Siddiqui were put in the B tier.
The C category consists of Jaweria Rauf, Sania Iqbal, Marina Iqbal and Sidra Amin while D includes Rabiya Shah, Anum Amin, Iram Javed, Diana Baig, Kanwal Francis, Naila Nazir and Fareeha Mahmood.
Express Tribune
