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Younis Khan returns for Australia ODIs

Younis Khan, the former Pakistan captain who took a break from the game in November while claiming he had "lost command" of the side, has been picked in a squad of 17 for the ODI leg of the tour of Australia

Cricinfo staff
14-Jan-2010
Younis Khan returns to the Pakistan squad after a gap of more than three months  •  Associated Press

Younis Khan returns to the Pakistan squad after a gap of more than three months  •  Associated Press

Younis Khan, the former Pakistan captain who took a break from international cricket in November while claiming he had "lost command" of the side, has been picked in a squad of 17 for the five-match ODI leg of the tour of Australia. However, Mohammad Yousuf will continue to lead the side with allrounder Shahid Afridi as his deputy.
Younis' resignation, following an ODI series defeat against New Zealand, came after months of reported unhappiness within the team over his leadership. He went underground immediately after, only to resurface suddenly while attending a PCB coaching course in Lahore and then turning out unimpressively on the domestic circuit. Subsequently there emerged a possibility that he may arrive in time for the ODI series.
Younis had been in contention for a place in the squad following Pakistan's disappointing batting display in the ongoing Test series, and Yousuf had requested him at the start of the tour to join the squad "as soon as possible".
Younis' form since his absence from the national team, though, has been poor. He managed just 11 runs in two innings for Habib Bank Limited in the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy final, and just 18 in his team's opening game of the Pentagular Cup in Karachi.
Kamran Akmal, after a torrid time behind the stumps in Sydney, has been retained and so has his replacement for the Hobart Test, Sarfraz Ahmed. Fast bowlers Rao Iftikhar and Naved-ul-Hasan, who didn't play the Tests, join the ODI squad. Batsman Khalid Latif, who has represented Pakistan in four ODIs, has also been called up.
Pakistan have also announced their squad for the sole Twenty20 international; Afridi will lead the side and the batting will be boosted by the inclusion of the attacking opener Imran Nazir.
ODI squad: Mohammad Yousuf (capt), Shahid Afridi (vice-capt), Umar Akmal, Imran Farhat, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Shoaib Malik, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Aamer, Naved-ul-Hasan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammad Asif.
Twenty20 squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Umar Akmal, Imran Farhat, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Shoaib Malik, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Aamer, Naved-ul-Hasan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Salman Butt, Rao Iftikhar, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Asif.