I turned down offer for ban revoke: Younus

Karachi:

Former Pakistan captain Younus Khan has confirmed that he had turned down an offer from the cricket board for a settlement to have his indefinite ban removed by the PCB-appointed appeals judge.

Appeals judge Irfan Qadir last week, nonetheless, removed Younus' ban, saying that the PCB had taken an open handed decision while enforcing the penalty on the former captain.

But Younus said before the appeals judge's decision he rejected a PCB offer to settle for a fine in place of the ban.

Younus, who has finally struck some form with the bat while playing for Surrey in England, also said that he bore no hard feelings towards any of his teammates.

"I have no hard feelings towards anyone. I have played with these guys for a long time and my mind is clear. I always wanted that if anyone had any complaints with me as captain he should have sat down with me and sorted out the matter. That is the way I look at it even today," he said.

Younus is tipped to be included in the 17-member Pakistan squad for the Test tour to England starting later this month after the Asia Cup and has already been named in the 35-man probables list.

"I definitely want to play for Pakistan it has given me a lot of honor. I want to be ready for the Test series when it comes," Younus said.

The senior batsman admitted that the last few months had been tough for him and his family.

"I felt alone since last year when I gave up captaincy and during the inquiry. I have nothing to hide so I was always confident that eventually my stand would be vindicated," Younus said.

Younus said he always tried to remain dignified and calm during the crisis period.

"I just want to play cricket with a peace of mind," he stated.