Having taken back his resignation from the captaincy,Younis Khan has said he is ready to take on more responsibility for Pakistan. Younis had earlier said he was overwhelmed with the support he had received in the week after he handed in his papers at a National Assembly committee hearing in Islamabad, and promised to reward his backers' faith in him.
"It [his resignation and subsequent agreement to continue to be at the helm] has put more responsibility on me," he said in his first public appearance since resuming the captaincy. "And if I used to play 100%, now I have to play 200%. I have played eight, nine years now ... but yes, this time around the support from the public, media and former players has put more responsibility on me and I am ready to take it."
Younis resigned as captain earlier this month following match-fixing accusations during the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against New Zealand. PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, though, refused to accept the decision.
After a lull in international assignments over the last two years, Pakistan suddenly find themselves embarking on a schedule that will keep them in action until February next year. They first play three ODIs in Abu Dhabi starting November 3, followed by two Twenty20s in Dubai before heading off to New Zealand for a three-Test series. "New Zealand is like Sri Lanka and Australia as they also play as a unit, so when we play such a team we have to play as a unit to beat them," said Younis. "I hope that it will be a good series."
Pakistan's ODI vice-captain Shahid Afridi, who recently quashed rumours about an ongoing rift with Younis, said: "We need to win the one-day series first, so that we have more confidence in the Twenty20 series . We need to iron out any differences in the team which usually surfaced because of lack of communication. If someone has any complaints he must come forward."
Following the Tests in New Zealand, Pakistan move to Australia where they have another three-Test series and a series of five ODIs as well as a Twenty20.
