Team-mates' indifferent attitude led to Younis' step-down: Sources

Lahore, Oct 7 (UNI) The 'indifferent' attitude of players like Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and new skipper Mohd Yousuf and the 'I am superior' mindset of mercurial pacer Shoaib Akhtar were the reasons behind Younis Khan's refusal to captain Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.

According to a report in 'The News', quoting sources in the Pakistan team, Younis was miffed with the attitude of the above mentioned players and the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shahryar Khan's treatment at a recent meeting.

''He was unhappy and apprehensive about the attitude of some players including Yousuf, Razzaq and Shahid Afridi on the first day of the conditioning camp itself on Wednesday. To make matters worse, Shoaib Akhtar's 'I am superior' attitude also bothered him,'' the newspaper quoted team sources as saying.

''This morning when he went to see the Shaharyar Khan, he was made to wait outside the office and was told that Shaharyar was at a meeting, something which has never happened when Inzamam-ul Haq was the captain,'' sources added.

The team sources revealed that the regular vice-captain was not very keen to captain the side after Inzamam was handed a four-ODI ban for bringing the game into disrepute following the infamous ball-tampering in the Oval Test fiasco.

Younis declined captaincy, just two days before the Pakistan team was to leave for the Champions Trophy in India, saying he did not want to be a 'dummy captain'. His announcement shocked the PCB which sacked him of vice-captaincy after the middle-order bat apologised for his conduct.

The furore led to the resignation of Shahryar as Chairman of PCB.

''Younis was not interested in captaincy in the first place, even after Inzamam was banned for four matches by the ICC last week. But strangely, Inzamam, after his disciplinary hearing, himself announced in London that since he was not playing in the Champions Trophy and Younis would be the captain,'' the sources said.

Meanwhile, Yousuf has called for putting an end to the episode and vowed that he would not allow the captaincy row to affect the team's chances at the Champions Trophy.

''The team is united and Younis's stepping down will not harm our chances in the Champions Trophy,'' Yousuf told reporters.

''We have a balanced side and know what challenge lies ahead in the Trophy and we will be equal to it,'' he added.

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