Islamabad, Sept 26: Two days after resigning as Pakistan cricket captain, Rashid Latif has said the decision to step down from the post was not due to any pressure from cricketing authorities but because he was "unhappy with a few things". "There is lot of talk that the chairman of the (Pakistan cricket) board, Lt General Tauqir Zia pressurised me to resign as captain and leave cricket when I met him on Wednesday.
"I would like to clarify that the decision to resign and quit international cricket was my own. I had decided before the meeting that I didn't want to continue," Latif was quoted as saying by an English daily today. Latif refused to elaborate the reasons for deciding to relinquish the captaincy or quit the game but admitted, "Yes, it is true I was not satisfied with some cricketing matters in the team... But Zia didn't tell me I had to resign or quit cricket."
The 34-year-old, however, said he was feeling the pressure of being the captain and had decided it was best to step down. "I have never run after these things. I don't want to be dishonest with myself or my job. I was feeling the pressure and was also unhappy with a few things. I decided it is best to hand over the job to someone else".
"I knew Inzamam could manage things well against South Africa," he said.
"Now I want to concentrate on my own performance because it is going to be a tough series against the South Africans," said the former skipper. Bureau Report