Younis Khan steps down as Pakistan's batting coach
Karachi, Jun 22: Former captain Younis Khan on Tuesday stepped down as Pakistan's batting coach in a surprise decision which the cricket board said was agreed upon "reluctantly but amicably" even though no reasons were specified for it.
The Pakistan team is due to start a tour of the UK from June 25 to July 20 for three ODIs and three T20Is. The team will next go to the West Indies from July 21 to August 24 to feature in five T20Is and two Tests.
"Pakistan men's national cricket team will travel to the United Kingdom without a batting coach, while the decision to appoint Younis Khan's replacement for the West Indies tour will be made in due course," a Pakistan Cricket Board statement said two days before the team's departure.
The announcement was followed by speculation that Younis himself had decided to quit the position as he was not happy with his role and wanted greater say in selection matters.
According to a source, he was not satisfied with the way the national team is being prepared for the future.
Younis was appointed last year in November on a two-year contract until the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup.
PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said it was sad to lose an expert of the stature and experience of Younis.
"Following a series of discussions, we both have reluctantly but mutually and amicably agreed that it was time to move in different directions," he added.
"...hope he will remain available to assist the PCB by sharing his vast knowledge with the emerging cricketers."
Both PCB and Younis have agreed to not to make any further comment on the reasons for the former captain's departure, the Board statement said.
Younis, who remains Pakistan's top Test run-getter with over 10,000 runs, has had his fair share of problems with the cricket establishment.
In 2007, he refused to captain the Pakistan team in the Champions Trophy after he didn't get time to meet with the PCB Chairman.
In 2009, he resigned as captain after a revolt by some players against his leadership style.
At the fag end of his career, he even returned a cash award given to him by the PCB as he was not happy with the treatment meted out to him by the authorities.
PCB statement on Younis Khan
— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) June 22, 2021
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
