Younis Khan terms Shahid Afridi mastermind for revolt in 2009
Younis Khan said, "I think it was a matter of getting the captaincy."
(Dunya News) – Former national team captain and batting coach Younis Khan has revealed that Shahid Afridi was the mastermind of the 2009 players’ revolt against him primarily due to the captaincy ambitions.
According to the details, Younis Khan declared Shahid Afridi as the mastermind of the revolt by his teammates in the Champions Trophy 2009 in South Africa. At that time, the players had taken an oath on the holy Qur an vowing not to play under the captaincy of Younis Khan. Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq and Muhammad Yusuf were in the forefront.
In an interview, Younis Khan said, "I think it was a matter of getting the captaincy, adding that Shahid Afridi had himself admitted that he complained to the then PCB chairman Ijaz Butt.
“If the players had problems with me they could have spoken to me. They claimed that they didn’t want me removed as captain but just wanted the cricket board to speak to me to change my attitude,” Younis was as quoted as saying.
"Then how is it that when the player (s) met with the then PCB Chairman, Ejaz Butt one senior player, apparently Afridi demanded the captain be changed. To me it was about captaincy ambitions," said highest Test run getter for Pakistan.
Younis said he had spent the last four years of his career with Pakistan remaining in his room all the time and just focussing on his cricket.
He was also asked about the infamous incident when in 2016 he abruptly announced his retirement from ODIs on the day before a match against England.
"It was not abrupt at all. I had made a decision beforehand I would retire from ODIs as I was not selected in the ODI eleven for the last two years.
