JEDDAH, 24 December 2007 — It was the most delightful moment of my life, said Younis Khan, the veteran Pakistani cricketer, of his Haj experience.
This was my first Haj, said Younis in an emotional voice, adding, “I am very thankful to God who bestowed His blessings on me and gave me an opportunity to seek His mercy at the plains of Arafat.
“I felt very comfortable doing every ritual from praying to stoning the Satan and staying in Mina. Despite being my first Haj it was very smooth, thanks to the excellent arrangements made by the Saudi government,” he added.
Younis is here with other veteran cricketers including former captain Inzamam ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Mushtaq Ahmed and Rao Iftikhar Anjum.
Fitness was the major problem during our India tour, said Younis replying to a question about the team’s recent failure.
“We did not play under any pressure in India, it is just a misunderstanding,” said Younis. “The absence of Asif, Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul had adversely affected our performance.”
Time has changed, the faster you are the more opportunities you get to stay in the game, Younis said replying to a question about the decline of cricket in Pakistan despite a huge following.
A captain must be aggressive, without that he can’t have influence on the team. Younis said he did not long for captaincy, rather was requested by the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Dr. Naseem Ashraf to take over in the absence of Shoaib Malik in Bangalore Test. “I don’t focus on captaincy, I am 32 now, I have four to five more years to play cricket, so what I am concentrating on now is fitness.
“Shoaib is young and talented and should be given more time so that he is able to lead the team in the right direction. But he should learn and bring more ideas into the game,” he said.
He said coach Jeff Lawson should be given at least one year before results can be expected from him. “I don’t believe in achieving targets. Targets are for breaking. I always share my views with my colleagues.
“Lord’s is my favorite ground. I always perform well on this ground. The crowd there is always very disciplined,” he said. Younis said whenever he used his influence it proved fruitful. He said Yasir Arafat was a good example during India tour. He got five scalps in his debut. Younis said he believed in giving chances to new players.
“Glenn McGrath was the most dynamic bowler to whom I played very carefully. It was my wish to play him in my peak time. He never gave loose ball. It was very difficult to perform against him.
“Losing in the first round in the previous World Cup was not a major issue. Giants can lose to minnows and there are examples that India too were out of the contest. But losing Bob Woolmer was really a big loss.”
“He was the born cricketer, losing him was like losing my father again, “said Younis in a cracking voice. “He helped me a lot to put my cricket in right direction.”
