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Pakistan life bans for Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan

The Pakistan Cricket Board has issued indefinite bans to former captains Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan.

Its inquiry into events during the tour of Australia found the pair had been involved in “infighting which resulted in bringing down the whole team”.

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik each face one-year bans and big fines.

Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal also face heavy fines while their conduct will be strictly monitored during a six-month probationary period.

On Wednesday, the PCB implemented the recommendations of an inquiry committee formed to evaluate Pakistan’s dismal performance against Australia during the winter.

Pakistan must now try to defend their ICC World Twenty20 crown in the Caribbean next month with severely depleted resources, before facing what could be a chastening tour of England.

But the PCB was unrepentant, saying: “This will go a long way to arrest the continuing decline of Pakistan cricket and improve the state of cricket in Pakistan.”

The inquiry detailed its sanctions against the seven players in an e-mail issued from its Lahore offices.

It said: “After careful and detailed analysis of the events, the personal accounts of the team management and players and examination of record, videos and statistics, the unanimous recommendations of the committee were as follows:

• Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan – keeping in view their infighting which resulted in bringing down the whole team, their attitude has a trickledown effect which is a bad influence for the whole team should not be part of national team in any format.

• For the shameful act of Shahid Afridi, which has brought the game and country into disrepute, he be fined Rs3m (£23,800). A warning be issued to him by the chairman of the PCB and he be put on probation for six months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored.

• Kamran Akmal be fined Rs3m (£23,800). A warning be issued to him by the chairman of the PCB and he be put on probation for six months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored.

• Umar Akmal be fined Rs2m (£15,000). A warning be issued to him by the chairman of the PCB and he be put on probation for six months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored.

• Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik be fined Rs2m (£15,000). They should not be part of a national team in any format for a period of one year.

The PCB clarified the terms of the bans. Taffazul Rizvi, the board’s legal advisor, told Cricinfo: “They will not be part of any Pakistan team in any format from here on… They can play domestic cricket or county cricket here and abroad.”

Younus stepped down from the captaincy twice last year with reports of player unrest about his style of leadership liberally strewn across the media.

Yousuf, the third-highest run scorer in Pakistan Test history, led a winless tour to Australia before falling out publicly with Twenty20 skipper Malik. The PCB has not expanded upon the cases of indiscipline that have led to the bans on Malik and Rana Naved.

However, the cases of the Akmal brothers and Shahid Afridi are more clear-cut.

The Akmals were fined for their behaviour after the Sydney Test. Wicketkeeper Kamran, insisted publicly he would be selected in the run-up to the third Test after being dropped from the side. Younger brother Umar was alleged to have feigned an injury to not play the Test in protest, though he did eventually play.

Afridi was punished for the ball-biting incident in the Perth one-day international, when he was captain of the side. He had already been punished by the ICC, who immediately gave him a two-match ban.

Attention will inevitably switch to how the players will respond, with legal action likely to be around the corner.
[BBC News]

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