An unnecessary controversy
Younus Khan has resigned the Pakistan captaincy again
A new match fixing row is the last thing that cricket needs. Especially when the allegations made are so patently ridiculous as to not merit the attention they are being given. It has even caused an international captain to resign.
During the Champions Trophy, India were left relying on Pakistan to beat Australia to keep them in the competition. Pakistan lost, India went out. So then, in India, a newspaper publishes a story claiming that Pakistan threw the game to spite India. The only evidence for this was that Pakistan lost, so it wasn’t much of a story. The ICC were quick to rubbish it, and a retraction was soon printed.
So why have the Pakistan government felt the need to question senior members of their cricket setup, including captain Younus Khan? The fallout has caused Younus to offer his resignation. From a distance, the rest of the cricket world is watching and wondering “what are you doing?”.
Rather than actually considering the facts in the cold light of day, they have decided to be seen to be taking action over a nothing story and as a result have created a controversy where there wasn’t one. Now they stand to lose a captain who was doing a good job, having won the World Twenty20 and reached the semi-final of the Champions Trophy.
But, questions are also being asked of Khan, who has a Keegan-like reputation for resigning the Pakistan captaincy. StaniArmy suggest that he is too hot-headed to lead anyway, and should expect this type of attention and criticism as part of the job.
As with the West Indies, it is a shame to see a Test nation undergoing such continual strife, especially when you consider the talented team that they can boast. If ever they manage to put an end to the infighting, the rest of the world ought to watch out.
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