Younis says he will rejoin KP today

KARACHI: Pakistan’s most accomplished Test player Younis Khan will re-join Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday (today) ahead of their Pakistan Cup final which will be held on Sunday.

“Yes, I will play in the final and Insha Allah will join the team tomorrow,” Younis told ‘The News’ on Thursday.

Younis, who remained in the news for the past few days after he quit his side following a row with an umpire, was on Wednesday allowed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to rejoin the team. He apologised for the second time for breaching clauses of his contract.

The PCB initially had served him with a show-cause notice and stopped him from taking part in the remaining matches. But the Board changed its stance and allowed the former Pakistan captain to play in the domestic event which is being staged for picking players for the tour of England this summer.

There are some rumours about differences between Younis and KP’s coach Kabir Khan. However, KP team management rubbished these claims.

Younis led KP in the first two matches. After he quit, Ahmed Shehzad led the side quite well, beating Balochistan and Sindh.

KP qualified for the final by beating Sindh by seven runs in a high-scoring game on Wednesday night.

KP have lost two key players, fast bowler Rahat Ali and left-handed solid batsman Naved Yasin, due to fitness problems.

Rahat, who developed a back injury, had spearheaded his side to a two-run victory over Punjab by taking 4-42 in ten overs. Naved did not play even a single game in the event because of a stomach problem.

Sindh, who have two wins to their credit, have a big chance of qualifying for the final owing to their high net run rate. They face Punjab on Friday (today) which will complete the league stage.