Younus keeps his defence up against Pakistan board

KARACHI, (Reuters) – Senior Pakistan batsman Younus Khan, who capped a memorable test against Australia in Dubai with hundreds in both innings, said he had thought of skipping the two-match series after being dropped from the 50-over squad.

The former captain, who will turn 37 next month, had criticised the selectors and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after being dropped for the ODI series against Australia.

And yesterday he refused to give credit to the board or the selectors and only thanked Zimbabwean Grant Flower, the team’s batting coach, and trainer Grant Ludan for his stellar performance.

“Yes I thought about skipping the test series because I was not in proper frame of mind and struggling. And we are playing against a top side like Australia,” Younus said after Pakistan’s 221-run win.

“But my friends, supporters and the media… I thank them for convincing me to play.

“I am just happy that my performance helped the team win because we needed this win for a while now.”

Yesterday’s win was Pakistan’s first over Australia in tests since 2010 and they have not won a test series against Australia since 1994.

Younus, who became Pakistan’s leading test century maker with 26 hundreds, last month slammed the selectors and board for not showing senior players enough respect.