LAHORE: The gross negligence on the part of National Cricket Academy management was fully exposed on Monday when former Pakistan captain Younis Khan explicitly vented his displeasure on the disrespectful treatment meted out to him here at the NCA where the legendary batsman had arrived to attend a coaching course.

Younis, Pakistan’s highest run-getter in Test cricket, who came to Lahore on Sunday to attend a Level III coaching course at the NCA, hurriedly left for Karachi, complaining that the NCA authorities did not make prior arrangement for his accommodation. Instead, they asked him to stay for one night in a room of one of the key NCA officials.

In a tweet on Monday, Younis, the 2009 World T20 winning skipper, said, “I have arrived here in Lahore at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). As you all know I am here to take part in Level Three course. But bad luck is that, when I reached here, there was no information about me.

“I came here after receiving a mail from NCA, in which it was written that it will be an honour for us if you participate in this training programme. This message motivated me and led me to be here,” Younis, 40, continued in his tweet message.

“When I arrived [here], I was asked to stay in this room for a night, which belongs to a senior management official. I can’t stay here without permission, so I have decided to travel back to Karachi.

“I can’t take part in the course, where I was asked to share other’s room. It will an embarrassment for Younis Khan,” the disgruntled player concluded.

According to the information gathered by Dawn, Mohtashim Rasheed, a coach at the NCA, informed NCA official Ali Zia that Younis was ready to attend the said course. Ali, showing his pleasure sent an email to Younis welcoming him to attend the course, starting at the NCA on Tuesday.

However, when Younis along with Mohtashim arrived at the NCA, there was no room available for the former Test stalwart because some 25 probables of the national team and its entire management are staying at the NCA while they prepare for the upcoming tours of Ireland, England and Scotland.

The same day (Sunday), the national selection committee cut short the number of probables by announcing a 16-member national squad for the Test matches. After which some NCA rooms were to be vacated on Monday.

Due to this very factor, Ali decided to allocate Younis the room of NCA director and former Test cricketer Mudassar Nazar, for one night, as the official was not in Lahore.

A PCB official on condition of anonymity said, Ali conveyed it to Younis that on Monday, a room would be allocated to him. Though Younis went to Mudassar’s room at the NCA he soon left it and later tweeted a message on Monday.

Meanwhile, two Australians namely Ross Turner and Alan Campbell, are to conduct the Level III coaching course with the support of NCA elite presenters including Ali, Shahid Aslam, Mushtaq Ahmed and Dr Sohail Saleem.

Published in Dawn, Aprill 17th, 2018

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