Former Pakistan captain Hanif Mohammad has expressed disappointment at senior batsman Younis Khan’s misconduct in last week’s umpiring row in the Pakistan Cup national one-day tournament.
“I am feeling sad because Younis is my favourite batsman and not only is he a big player but a big person as well who always respects his elders. That is why his behaviour came as a disappointment to me,” Hanif told the Express newspaper.
Younis returned home midway through the Pakistan Cup national one-day tournament as he was angry at several umpiring decisions in his team’s (Khyber Pakhtunkhawa franchise) two matches. The 38-year-old was fined 50 per cent of his match fee and faced a ban of three to five matches for not attending the disciplinary hearing and withdrawing from the tournament.
Negative impact
However, he was let off with a warning after the former skipper apologised for his actions. “Younis is a role model for youngsters and I think this action of his to leave the tournament would have left a negative impact on his fans and followers,” said Hanif.
Hanif, regarded as one of Pakistan’s greatest batsmen, felt Younis’s action was an emotional outburst.
“In sports, notably in cricket, at times sportsmen tend to get emotional over some incidents and I think this is what happened with Younis. But I firmly believe that even if you don’t agree with umpires' decision you can complain through the proper channels later on but it is not acceptable to walk out of the tournament to lodge your protest,” he said.
Hanif said he was glad that Younis had realised his mistake and shown responsibility by apologising for his actions. “I think what happened has happened and this chapter should be closed now and there should be no more negativity around it,” he said.
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