New Delhi, Oct. 7: Pakistan cricket’s uncanny ability to court controversies at every conceivable juncture came to the fore yet again as Younis Khan was reinstated as Pakistan’s captain for the Champions Trophy. When the Pakistan media manager introduced the Pakistan captain as Mohammad Yousuf, it became apparent that a lot of last minute diplomacy and cajoling had gone in to bring a semblance of order in this farcical situation by the Pakistani establishment.

Younis Khan began by clarifying on what had transpired over the last few days: "I am very disappointed at what has happened. I am hurt at what all occurred. Everything is behind us now. I will not tell as to why I changed my decision, but all I can say that I did not have any role in this episode. Our new chairman offered me a chance to lead my country and I am ready for it."

With the captaincy merry-go-round throwing up another captain for Pakistan, team morale, especially Mohammad Yousuf’s, was a concern for most but not Younis: "All the players are here to represent Pakistan. Myself and Yousuf go back a long way. We know each other’s game. We have a great partnership. All the juniors and seniors know their role well as we have been playing together for two years now. So everybody, including myself, is raring to give it their best shot and fight till the last ball."

When the scribes tried to trick him on the captaincy issue, Younis declared: "I am willing to give up by post as soon as Inzamam is back. He has always been my idol and I would be honoured to play under him."

With coach Bob Woolmer also in the thick of things, a few bouncers were directed at him as well but he presented a dead bat by saying: "No matter what you ask, you are not going to get much out of me. What has happened is now in the past. All I can say is that the past few days, infact month, has been quite tough. This is definitely the most challenging and ‘different’ phase of my coaching career."

As questions regarding team strategy and squad’s fitness were lost in the cacophony of the latest developments, Woolmer did outline his plans: "We are here with a fit side. Mohammed Asif is fully fit. As far as strategies go, we still have a few days to chalk them out. We would not like to experiment much for this important series. People have been questioning our opening position but I feel we have many players to choose from for the opening slot and we can alter our plans accordingly."

When asked about the immediate future of Pakistan cricket, Woolmer said: "Inzamam is definitely our leader. Our team is strong and we have some good all-rounders."