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This is an archive article published on December 18, 2007

I8217;ll be the captain, but I have conditions8217;

Pak's senior batsman Younis Khan said he needed six months to turn his team into a winning combination.

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Pakistan8217;s senior batsman Younis Khan has said that the Pakistan Cricket Board needed to take some difficult and hard decisions for the betterment of the team.

In an interview before leaving for Haj from Karachi, Younis, who has expressed his willingness to become the captain of the national team, said he needed six months to turn the team into a winning combination.

8220;I am prepared to be the captain but on certain conditions. The bottom line is some difficult decisions have to be taken in the larger interest of the team and if the board can take them, I can assure you positive results can be produced in six months time.8221;

Younis, who has so far been reluctant to be captain and turned down this offer earlier this year after the World Cup said he saw himself playing cricket for another two to three years and if the board wanted to make him captain this was the best time to do it.

8220;If in this time I can do something for Pakistan cricket as captain I would be very happy. But I want to lead the team on my own conditions. This is necessary to be successful and get positive results. Some changes have to be made in the team,8221; he added.

The PCB has said that it had first offered the captaincy to Younis but he turned it down. The time has now passed for him to be considered for this post again. The board said last week it would back Shoaib Malik as captain who has been appointed to this post until December 2008.

Ironically for the Indian tour, the PCB Chairman, Nasim Ashraf specially asked Younis to become vice-captain to Shoaib Malik.

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Younis led the team in the drawn Kolkata and Bangalore tests after Malik was injured after leading the team in the first test in New Delhi which was won by India.

Younis said for long former captains like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul-Haq had been telling him to accept the captaincy.

8220;I am not keen on the captaincy but because of these former players whom I respect I have decided to accept the challenge.8221;

8220;I am now ready to accept the challenge. I doubt it the board will now make me the captain at this time but I have put the ball in the PCB court let us see what happens,8221; he stated.

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Having played 58 tests and 160 one-day internationals for his country, Younis said if the captaincy was offered to him he had at least three conditions, which needed to be accepted.

8220;Some hard decisions need to be taken that is for sure only than can the team be turned around,8221; he said.

Younis8217;s sudden change of heart on the captaincy issue is being seen by some experts as an indication that changes are likely to come in the team management sooner or later and also of groupings within the team with some players not happy with Malik.

 

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