PCB stands by Younus

Younus Khan congratulates counterpart Kumar Sangakkara on Sri Lanka's first home Test series victory over Pakistan

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Chairman Ijaz Butt has said the Pakistan Cricket Board has no intention of sacking captain Younus Khan following the Test series loss against Sri Lanka.

Pakistan lost the second Test in Colombo by seven wickets in just three days, handing Sri Lanka an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.

It marked a complete turnaround for a team which, less than a month ago, was celebrating triumph in the World Twenty20 in England.

In the past, the PCB have often reacted to defeats by sacking the captain, but Butt has ruled out knee-jerk reactions.

“First of all it is not a joke to change captains again and again,” Butt said. “Furthermore, Younus is doing quite well.

“While the defeats have been disappointing, I think it has more to do with the lack of Test cricket in the recent past.

“We are playing after a long gap and it will take some time to return to Test cricket mindset.”

Some former players including former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq had placed blame for the defeat on a lack of unity in the team.

Butt rubbished those claims, saying: “I believe the captain is a very respected player in the team and has very good relations with all the players including the seniors in the team.

“In any case, in both matches we were in dominant positions before we lost. I think this proves that they only need to adjust to this form of cricket.”

Younus, meanwhile, pleaded with fans and former players to give his team more time.

“It’s very easy right now to write this team off,” Younus said, “But how many Tests have we played in the last 14 months?

“For the whole of last year, we didn’t play at all. I think it's not about the technique, not about the bowling, not about the weather.

“It’s a question of the mind and learning to adapt and that can only come with more exposure. Give this team some time, don’t point fingers too early.

“It will be very easy for me too to blame particular players, even myself. But I’m not the kind to pinpoint blame. We lost as a team.”

Younus, who three times refused the captaincy in the past, said he was not planning to quit.

“It’s very easy for me too to give up, to say I can’t captain this team,” Younus said. “But somebody will have to stand up and fix the situation.”