The resignation of Pakistan batting coach Younis Khan came as a surprise to many just before his side’s limited-overs tour of England. He resigned on June 22 despite having a two-year contract till the end of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
While it was earlier believed that both parted ways mutually due to a dental treatment and a strained relationship between Younis and the top PCB officials, a new angle has come to the foray.
It has now come to light that he had a fallout with Pakistan speedster Hasan Ali and didn’t have the greatest of relationships with many national players.
Reports in PakPassion.net stated that he had a verbal spat with Hasan Ali during the tour of South Africa which escalated to a level that other staff members had to intervene and put them aside.
The reports further claimed that Hasan Ali had refused to take an ice bath after a T20I encounter during the South Africa tour and when Younis asked him to follow the team protocols on the complaint of trainer Yasir Malik, both indulge in an ugly verbal spat.
While Waqar Younis tried to solve the matter by asking Hasan Ali to apologise, Younis Khan was disappointed with Hasan Ali’s action and didn’t indulge in any sort of discussions and remained pretty reserved for the rest of the tour.
It must be noted that team Manager Mansoor Rana tried to keep the incident under the carpet as he was elevated to the role of a manager owing to his close association with Director International Cricket, Zakir Khan and tried to uphold his position of strength in the governing body.
Meanwhile, other sources have claimed that Younis Khan’s resignation was largely due to misbehaviour from a PCB official. A reliable source close to PCB told PTI that Younis wanted to join the team bio-bubble a few days later and a verbal war of words eventually led to his stepping down from his position.
"The real and factual reason is that Younis had asked the PCB to allow him to join the mandatory bio-bubble for the England tour after a few days' delay as he had to undergo a complex dental treatment in Karachi," the source said.
"Younis had come down to Lahore for three days to attend the conditioning camp set up at the High-Performance Center for the England tour.
"But when it was announced that all players and officials will have to start quarantine from 20th July before boarding the flight to England, Younis requested the PCB to allow him to return to Karachi and undergo the dental treatment and give him permission to join the team late," the source further added.
Meanwhile, PCB chief executive Wasim Khan had expressed his disappointment at parting ways with Younis Khan and said that while they were reluctant to let him go but they eventually decided mutually to part ways.
"It is sad to lose an expert of the stature and experience of Younis Khan. Following a series of discussions, we both have reluctantly but mutually and amicably agreed that it was time to move in different directions,” Wasim Khan said.
"I want to thank Younis Khan for his contributions during his short stint as the Pakistan men's national cricket team's batting coach and hope he will remain available to assist the PCB by sharing his vast knowledge with the emerging cricketers," he added.