KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board have rejected captain Younus Khan’s resignation and want him to lead the national team until the 2011 World Cup.

Younus tendered his resignation last week in protest at match-fixing allegations against the team. Sources close to Younus said he had told the board he would only withdraw his resignation if certain conditions were accepted, while the player himself said he had not closed the door on the captaincy.

“Obviously every captain needs to have some assurance of his tenure and Younus will continue to captain the side until the next World Cup,” PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt told a news conference in Lahore on Monday. Younus led Pakistan to victory in the Twenty20 World Cup in July and a host of former test players urged him to withdraw his resignation. Younus submitted his resignation during a hearing of the National Assembly standing committee on sports in Islamabad.

The hearing was convened after committee chairman Jamshed Dasti said he would investigate reports that Pakistan had deliberately under-performed against Australia and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy which ended on Oct. 5.

Dasti later denied making match-fixing allegations and said his remarks had been misunderstood.

Deported Asif cannot play in UAE, says PCB

Meanwhile, doping-tainted paceman Mohammad Asif has been ruled out of Pakistan’s series against New Zealand next month as he cannot enter the United Arab Emirates, an official said Monday.

“We inquired about Asif’s position in the UAE and after checking that, we can confirm that Asif cannot play there because if he goes there he will be arrested,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt told reporters.

Pakistan are scheduled to play New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates after the PCB lost the right to host foreign teams following the March gun and grenade attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.

Asif was detained at Dubai airport for 19 days while returning from India after featuring in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in June last year. He was found in possession of opium but Dubai police deported him after they found the quantity of the drug was “insufficient” to bring a case.

The 26-year-old controversial paceman was fined one million rupees (12,500 dollars) by a PCB disciplinary committee.

Before his detention, Asif failed a dope test in the inaugural season of the IPL last year - his second doping offense in a short career.

He was banned for one year.

After the ban expired, Pakainst Australia.

After making his debut in Australia in 2005, Asif hit the headlines for the wrong reasons the following year when, along with fellow paceman Shoaib Akhtar, he tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.

Akhtar was banned for two years and Asif for one year, but the bans were overturned on appeal.

Asif termed his recall last month as his “rebirth in cricket.”