London, Mar 19: Former Pakistan coach Richard Pybus today said he believed veteran Rashid Latif would prove only to be a temporary captain and batsman Younis Khan would have been a better choice. Pybus also paid tribute to former captain Waqar Younis, who was sacked today and replaced by Latif following their failure to make the Super Six stage of the World Cup. Pybus, who stepped down from his post after the end of the World Cup campaign, laid the blame for their failure squarely at the feet of the players, whose splits climaxed when out of form batsman Inzamam ul-Haq clashed with Younis Khan in a football kick-about.
"In the circumstances, Waqar did an incredible job keeping the team together," Pybus told a British website. "There was a general lack of desire to go out and fight and I doubt if there is anything that Waqar could have done to change that," Pybus added.
Pybus said Younis Khan would have been a much more inspired choice as captain rather than the 34-year-old Latif, who had a moderate World Cup. "I can see Younis Khan taking over in time," he said adding, "He is a strong, principled man and I know that if he gets the job at a future date he will have laid down the ground rules first. He certainly will not tolerate prima donnas."
Bureau Report