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| October 20, 2006 | Friday | Ramazan 26, 1427 |
Inzamam remains my hero: Younis
JAIPUR, Oct 19: Pakistan's sensational win over Sri Lanka on Tuesday has turned the spotlight on their captain-in-waiting Younis Khan but the prolific batsman says he is not in a hurry to take the crown from his role model and incumbent Inzamam-ul Haq.
"Even if we have won, Inzamam is still the captain. I have never been after captaincy and I am not going to get ahead of him," Younis said as he savoured the creditable four-wicket win over Sri Lanka.
"I have grown up idolising him. He has been my hero since I started playing cricket. I am happy to play under him."
The win was remarkable for the fact that it came just 24 hours after the news of key bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif returning positive in pre-event dope tests.
Younis is leading the side in the absence of Inzamam who has been banned for four ODIs for bringing the game into disrepute during the Oval Test fiasco.
The 28-year-old batsman has had a late impact on Pakistan cricket but has risen in a short period of time to be touted a future captain. Younis added that recent drama before the start of the tour when he refused to lead the side and was reinstated within less than 48 hours would not affect his relationship with Mohammad Yousuf.
"Yousuf and I have played cricket together from our junior days. We have a good understanding when it comes to running between the wickets, and we know each other's habits well," Younis said of his team-mate.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's former captain Ramiz Raja said the flip-flop on captaincy had nothing to do with the players themselves.
"Younis Khan's outburst was not with the players. It was because of the administrative chaos," Ramiz, who also served as CEO of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said.
"The players were not at all affected. Younis was given a settled team. He knows the pulse of the players who know how to operate without Inzamam.
"That is the big difference between the current and past Pakistani teams, the ability to perform without a regular captain."
Ramiz did not see the win against Sri Lanka, or even a title-triumph, changing the scenario with regard to captaincy in the near future.
"There is no question that Younis Khan is the future candidate but Inzamam has been named leader of the troops against the West Indies," he said. "The one good thing about Pakistan cricket in recent times is that there has not been any political destabilisation. There has been a consistent captain and the players respect Inzamam."
Younis, on his part, said he wanted to give the players what he did not get in his younger years.
"I wanted them to have fun which I couldn't find when I was in the team in the early days. The last one week, the boys went to the movies and chilled out," he said.—Agencies
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