Younis turns down captaincy

Despite last week being appointed as Pakistan’s captain for the upcoming Champions Trophy tournament in India, Younis Khan has now stated that he will not be captaining the side. Inzamam-ul-Haq’s four-match ODI ban meant that as vice-captain, Younis was set to step up – but he has now, sensationally, refused to do so.

Younis has said nothing on the matter, other than that he “refuses to be a dummy captain” and that his reasons for resigning “will be revealed afterwards”. He called a shock press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium today to announce the news, accompanied by coach Bob Woolmer.

One can only speculate as to the reason for Younis’ refusal to captain the side – however, it appears that details of his decision will soon be revealed. The likely candidate to replace him appears to be Mohammad Yousuf, the in-form batsman in the Pakistan side and one of their most experienced players.

The Champions Trophy begins at the qualifying stage on Saturday.