Strain evident in Pakistan display

Abu Dhabi: Younus Khan couldn't but help feeling forlorn after Monday's seven-run loss in the final one-dayer of the Cool & Cool Cup series to New Zealand here.

The pressure the Pakistani skipper is feeling was evident when he first ran a non-existent single to get the well-set Salman Butt out and then perished a little later for a personal contribution of three runs.

Later, the Pathan from Marjan, who became a national hero after winning the T20 World Cup, was jeered at the prize distribution ceremony.

Younus had a wry take on the crowd reaction. "We are public property and this is not the first time it has happened. When you win you are God, when you lose," he said tapering off.

That there are a lot of people both in Pakistan and within the team who want to see him out of the one-day squad are badly-kept secrets, and the manner in which most of his players approached the rather gettable target of 212 confirmed the schism in the team.

Asked to comment on the commitment of his players, Younus said: "They are giving 100 per cent." He added, "But they seem to ‘panic'. Run-outs, dropped catches and missed run-out chances; I don't know why this keeps happening."

When a visiting Pakistani reporter asked Younus why he should not be held responsible for his poor form and the run-out of Butt, he replied, "If I answer that question, then a lot of things will have to be said!"

The runs have no doubt dried up for Younus, but some of the shots played by his batsmen looked as if they were in a hurry to get to Dubai for the T20 matches.

"Before we started the run chase our plan was to occupy the crease and just get some partnerships going. The two youngsters, Aamer and Ajmal, did that when they just kept carrying on. Even if we had one such partnership at the top of 30-40 runs the result would have been different," he said.

Known as a clean player with an apolitical approach, Younus may be feeling the heat of groupism within the team and a lot of pressure from critics outside.

But the PCB would do well to look into the role of certain players in the team and root out any groupism, for, if ignored, the results could be disastrous for the team.