KARACHI, Sept 29: Younis Khan will lead Pakistan's cricket team in next month's Champions Trophy in India after the ICC slapped a four-match ban on captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, officials said.

“Younis will lead Pakistan in the ICC Trophy,” Pakistan Cricket Board director Abbas Zaidi said.

The International Cricket Council on Thursday penalised Inzamam for bringing the game into disrepute but absolved the star batsman of ball tampering charges after a two-day hearing in London.

The hearing followed a standoff in the fourth Test at The Oval after the Pakistani team refused to take the field on the fourth evening following a ball tampering row.

Younis said Inzamam was a big loss for the elite tournament, which starts early next month.

“Inzamam is our key player but we will take this as a challenge and the team will try its level best to win the Champions Trophy, which is the second biggest event after the World Cup,” Younis said.

The stylish 28-year-old batsman has led Pakistan in two Tests and two One-day Internationals, winning and losing one each in both forms of the game.

“It's a great challenge and honour to lead the country, and this current team is a well-knit side,” he said. “If we play to our potential, we can do well.”—AFP

Our Sports Correspondent adds from Lahore: Young middle-order batsmen Faisal Iqbal or Shahid Yousuf may replace Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq in in the Champions Trophy, sources told Dawn on Friday.

Though Pakistan has already submitted a 14-member squad to the ICC for Champions Trophy which includes Inzamam’s name, it has the right to make a replacement for the event under the ICC Participating Nation Agreement.

According to knowledgeable sources, Faisal, who played three Test matches on the recently concluded England tour, is more likely to replace Inzamam for the mega event while the other candidate is promising middle-order batsman, Shahid Yousuf.

Chief selector Wasim Bari on Friday told Dawn that he would be deciding on the replacement player after meeting PCB chairman Shaharyar M. Khan who returns home on Sunday after attending the ICC hearing.

"Let me officially confirm from the chairman whether Inzamam stands to miss the Champions Trophy or four matches of the home series against the West Indies in December," said Bari.

"I also came to know through media that Inzamam will not be available for the ICC Champions Trophy but I still need to consult with the chairman on the exact status of the ban," he said.

Bari, a former Test wicketkeeper, said that a middle-order batsman would be replacing Inzamam for the tournament in India but added that he was not in a position to name any possible replacement at the moment.