Pakistan batsman Younis Khan has rubbished all the reports of his retirement from ODIs and termed them as rumours. It was reported that Younis has tweeted that he will retire from ODIs after the end of the World Cup. But earlier today, Younis denied all the reports and insisted on working hard for the sake of his team. Younis also revealed that he did not have a Twitter account of his own.
I have no Twitter account and it’s (the story about his retirement) fake. I am working hard to come good in batting and have not decided anything like that, Younis told AFP on Wednesday.
Since arriving at New Zealand for the World Cup, Younis has managed just 78 runs in eight matches, including four warm-up games and two one-day internationals just before the World Cup. He was the centre of all the criticism from former Pakistan players after scores of six and nought in Pakistan’s defeats in their first two matches of the World Cup. He was asked to open the innings in Pakistan’s first match against arch-rivals India in Adelaide and that idea massively backfired. Pakistan will next play Zimbabwe in a do-or-die Pool B fixture in Brisbane on March 1, where a loss could see them getting knocked out at the end of the first round.
Several Pakistani legends lashed out at the PCB for having Younis Khan in the side for the World Cup. He was not a regular member of the ODI squad but made it to the World Cup just because of century in an ODI against NEw Zealand at UAE in November.
“I beg of Younis. Thank you for your services to Pakistan cricket but please leave this ODI side now. I think Younis should tell the management he should be rested,” said former Pakistan captain turned commentator Rameez Raja told a Pakistan television channel on Tuesday.
“What’s the rocket science of promoting Younis Khan as an opener. If you are not an opener you tend to struggle against the new ball and if you are not in form, it only compounds your problems,” Javed Miandad wrote in his column for the International Cricket Council website.