Pakistan board bans Younus, Yousuf for life

Feuding former Pakistan captains Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan have been banned from representing their country for life because of their bickering during and after the disastrous tour of Australia, lowlighted by the loss of the unlosable Test at the SCG.

The Pakistan Cricket Board yesterday reacted with venom to the miserable, winless tour of Australia. Yousuf and Younus were both told their services were no longer required in all three formats of the game, ending their international careers. Younus joined the beleaguered touring squad only for the one-day series but engaged in a slanging match with Yousuf, who had been skipper for the tests and ODIs, immediately upon their return home.

One-year bans were slapped on Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan as punishment for undisclosed disciplinary problems. It is understood they clashed heatedly with Yousuf on several occasions. Malik has been consistently accused of orchestrating factionalism within the team since he was stripped of the captaincy last year.

Ball-biting Shahid Afridi and the argumentative Akmal brothers were between PKR2 million-3 million (NZ$33,000-NZ$50,000) lighter in the pocket and placed on six-month probation for their contributions to the rabble.

Afridi bit the ball while captaining Pakistan in the last one-day match of the series in Perth. He bizarrely claimed after stumps that he was merely trying to smell the ball. The PCB yesterday called his behaviour shameful and an act that had brought cricket and his country into disrepute.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt demanded the investigation by a six-man committee into the circumstances surrounding Pakistan losing three Tests, five one-dayers and one Twenty20 clash while in Australia. The SCG defeat came from a position of near-invincibility at stumps on day four. Bizarre field placements, dropped catches and incomprehensibly risky batting gifted Australia a victory that stunned spectators as much as bookmakers.

Kamran and Umar Akmal were fined heavily for their rebellious behaviour leading up to the final test in Hobart. Kamran insisted he would be picked despite a PCB release stating he would be dropped after his terrible wicketkeeping in the Sydney Test. Umar allegedly feigned an injury and threatened not to play in protest at his brother's omission.

The recommendations released last night included:

- Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan, due to their infighting that brought down the team - their attitude had a trickle-down effect that was a bad influence on the team - should not be part of national team in any format.

- For the shameful act of Shahid Khan Afridi, which has brought the game and country into disrepute, he be fined 3 million rupees and monitored on probation for six months.

- Kamran Akmal fined 3 million rupees and monitored on probation for six months.

- Umar Akmal fined 2 million rupees and six months' probation.

- Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik fined 2 million rupees and banned from the national team in any format for one year.

The PCB said the recommendations had been accepted ''in totality'' and ''will go a long way to arrest the continuing decline in Pakistan cricket and improve the state of cricket in Pakistan. It is a landmark exercise which is an outcome of labour and hard work of the members of the committee''.

- © Fairfax NZ News