By By Khalid Hussain
It won't be easy for Butt to tell Younis that he can pack his bags and go home. It was Butt, who opted for Younis as the Pakistan's new captain after Shoaib Malik was dumped following a humiliating one-day defeat against Sri Lanka in Lahore. Butt was well aware of Younis's volatile nature and now that his man - who led Pakistan to a memorable World Twenty20 triumph less than four months back - is walking on thin ice, the PCB chief should be backing him.
However, it's not easy even for the most powerful man in Pakistan cricket. Even with his sweeping powers, Butt cannot just take this decision and solidify Younis's hold on team captaincy. There are too many other factors involved.
Sources told 'The News' that following the Champions Trophy, around nine or ten members of the Pakistan team have met Butt and told him that they are unhappy playing under Younis.
A couple of players confided in this correspondent that the atmosphere in the dressing room that was already far from perfect under Inzamam-ul-Haq and then Shoaib Malik, failed to improve much under Younis either.
They say that even the title-winning triumph in the World Twenty20 championship in England failed to really unite the players. Some senior players were unhappy with the Board's choice to have Younis as captain and never really supported their new leader right from the outset.
Younis's own insistence on trying to be a new Imran Khan didn't receive much appreciation either, at least from some quarters. Younis has time and again sought as much power as Imran enjoyed when he led Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup victory.
His no-nonsense approach, however, is making more enemies than friends. Sources in the team told this correspondent at right now, most of the players and team officials are secretly praying that he shouldn't return as skipper.
Younis is quite aware of the situation and has played a perfect card by offering his resignation. He knows that with the team officials working against him and most of the players praying for his ouster, it would be next to impossible to extract good results from his team.
He wants a more acceptable set of officials to be attached with the team. He also wants Butt to send a clear signal to his teammates that Younis is their long-term captain by extending his tenure unconditionally.
What will Butt do next? That's the million-dollar question. According to some well-placed sources, Butt cannot easily wash his hands off Younis.
"Actually the matter has been really politicized now," said a source. "Some of the provincial assemblies have involved themselves in this matter. Some political parties are also raising their voices. It can even snowball into an ethnic issue in case the PCB decides to replace Younis with somebody belonging to the country's largest province," the source added.
It certainly seems like a no-win situation. If Butt accepts the conditions set by Younis, he will have to let go some of the officials that were handpicked by him. Yawar Saeed, the controversial team manager will certainly have to go. A similar decision might even have to be made about Intikhab Alam, the coach. There will be fears of more infighting, if the Board messes up this issue.
In case Butt decides to let Younis go, then he will have to face a thousand different questions. Why did he appoint Younis as captain in the first place? Why did he succumb to player power? Why didn't he take similar action against the likes of Yawar Saeed and Intikhab Alam because if Younis is a failure as captain then the officials should also take the fall with him?
Things are certainly tricky and much will depend on how Butt tackles this issue. He might manage to resolve it but because of his past failures, one cannot count on it.