Explainer: Why Younis Khan stepped down from batting coach role

Younis Khan’s resignation from the post of batting coach of the Pakistan cricket team sparked a new debate about how things work in the cricketing circles in the country.

The 43-year-old parted ways with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) before the team was due to depart for the upcoming tours of England and the West Indies.

There have been numerous rumours in the media over the last few days about the untimely departure of Younis despite him having a close working relationship with the head coach Misbah-ul-Haq.

So exactly what led the 2009 ICC World T20-winning captain to quit?

Answer: In a story published on Geo, Younis revealed that he stepped down from the role after receiving a threatening call from PCB’s Director of International Cricket Zakir Khan. Zakir asked him to meet the deadline to join the bio-secure bubble for the upcoming tours regardless of his dental treatment.

According to the former right-handed batsman, Zakir also reminded Younis that he should remember how PCB ‘dealt’ with veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez when he had differences with the cricket board.

The Lahore Qalandars’ all-rounder was dropped from the squad as he failed to join the squad after playing the T10 League.

Was Zakir Khan’s threat the only reason for Younis’ resignation?

The answer is no. Younis had been very vocal about the chief selector Mohammad Wasim’s performance in the recent past where he stated that the team is selected on the basis of players popularity on social media instead of their performances in domestic cricket.

The 43-year-old also had a heated argument with star pacer Hasan Ali where the 27-year-old refused to take an ice bath after the match which led to a verbal spat.

What’s next for Younis Khan?

It is difficult to answer that right now, but it seems that at least in the current setup, it is very unlikely that he will get any significant role anytime soon.

The reason is clear that people inside the board are getting tired of Younis’ behaviour. It was clear that even head coach Misbah-ul-Haq remained silenced over the issue of his departure.