Malik and Yousuf should be 'kicked out' – Nazar

MUDASSAR Nazar, the former Pakistan batsman, has said Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik deserved to be “kicked out of the team” in the wake of their comments to the media following their forgettable tour of Australia.
Nazar said the two senior players – who already have a fractious history – should never have gone public about the turbulent dressing-room atmosphere and suggested that that their own relationship had turned sour again.
Yousuf, who took over as captain for the tours of New Zealand and Australia, told a television channel that one player was responsible for disrupting the team unity on tour but stopped short of naming the player, preferring to reveal it to the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt.
Malik, the former captain, widely regarded as the target of Yousuf’s remarks, hit back by questioning Yousuf’s leadership abilities.
This occurred after the team was whitewashed in all matches against Australia.
“The Yousuf and Malik feud has been simmering for a while,” Nazar told Pakpassion.net in Dubai.
“Yousuf was very active in the press and he has had a go at Malik and other players too quite a few times in the past.
The slanging match that has now taken place before us all has, in my opinion, been started by Yousuf and now Malik has responded too.
“Both of the players are under central contracts and should not have been allowed to behave in such a way in front of the whole world.
Yousuf should not have been allowed to go on television and give such an interview and Malik should not have gone to the press like this in response to Yousuf’s comments”.
Nazar said their behaviour will be a bad influence on the younger players and wanted them to be punished.
“What sort of an example are Yousuf and Malik giving to the younger players with this sort of behaviour? We have already seen the likes of Umar Akmal misbehaving and if others see Malik and Yousuf carrying on like this, then they themselves will think it is fine to behave like this.
Both Malik and Yousuf should be taken to task by the board; they should be made an example of and kicked out of the team”.
The PCB, which has set up a six-member committee to look into the reasons behind the team’s failure in the two tours, had questioned both Yousuf and Malik on Saturday, besides coach Intikhab Alam, assistant coach Aaqib Javed and opener Salman Butt.
It had begun work on Friday by interviewing Shahid Afridi and the team manager Abdur Raqueeb.
However, Nazar disapproved of the idea of setting up such committees.
“The committee will achieve absolutely nothing. We have seen these committees set up before and there is a lot of talk, but nothing materialises from these.”
Nazar also took a shot at Ijaz Butt, saying the PCB also didn’t handle the situation well.
“What is really mystifying is that Ijaz Butt has given Shoaib Malik the nod of approval to respond in the press to Yousuf’s comments.
Butt should not have done this and this has made the situation even worse”.
Nazar, who played 76 Tests and 122 ODIs, has coached in Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy and is now with the ICC’s Global Cricket Academy in Dubai.
He said he wasn’t interested in coaching Pakistan, if offered the chance.
“The job is not for me, thank you very much. I would never do the job in future.
“I believe they are looking for a foreign coach and good luck to the person who takes on the role. In my opinion only a desperate man would take on the role. (Eurosport)

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