Younis Khan, Umar Gul rested not dropped, says Iqbal Qasim

Pakistan chief selector Iqbal Qasim has clarified that Younis Khan and Umar Gul should not consider themselves axed, as the team will need their services in the future. The national selection committee rested both veteran players for the upcoming One Day
International (ODI) series against Australia.

Gul is a part of the squad for the T20 World Cup, while Younis has already decided to quit the shortest version of the game. Qasim said on Wednesday:

"They remain valuable players for us. They have just been rested for the One-day series against Australia as we will be playing some tough series in the next few months and we need them back to their best."

"It is a wrong impression we dropped them. They are senior players and we just want them to take a break and come aback afresh with their confidence high," Qasim, a former Test spinner, shared.

Younis is one of the most experienced players in Pakistan. He has played in 245 matches, scoring 6824 runs at an average of 32.18. On the other hand, Gul is Pakistan’s most senior fast bowler, having played 111 ODIs.

The Men in Green are scheduled to meet Australia in UAE ahead of the World T20 championship. The chief selector described that the absence of senior players will give young players a chance to take responsibility on their shoulders.

"There is no doubt we need both of them for the upcoming tours to India and South Africa. They figure very much in our plans.  All these players feature in our plans for the next World Cup and we want to see how they cope with the responsibility in the absence
of seniors like Younis and Gul. It is time to see how he stands up to the demands of international cricket," he added.

Meanwhile, the sources revealed that the chief selector met Younis before announcing squad for the upcoming ODI series. A source told PTI:

"Qasim told him that the selectors wanted him to take a break from the game and practice and get back into the runs. Qasim conveyed clearly to Younis that the selectors wanted him to perform like a senior player and get big scores.”

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Posted by Rana Nasir Ghafoor on Aug 16 2012. Filed under Pakistan, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry