Younus wants a players' association in Pak

Karachi:

Pakistan captain Younus Khan said he and his teammate have decided to form a players' association and would go ahead with it even if the cricket board does not support them.

Younus said he is determined to form the association to safeguard the players' interests and look after the welfare of both former and present cricketers.

"I am not on any confrontation path with the Pakistan Cricket Board. But definitely, I have informed them the intention of the players to have their own association," he said.

Some half-baked attempts have been made in the past to form a professional players association in Pakistan but it did not eventually happen due to differences among the players themselves.

Younus said the players were serious about having their own association this time.

"I have already met with the Federation of International Cricketers Association chief executive Tim May during the World Twenty20 and will have another meeting with him during the Champions Trophy in South Africa," Younus said.

"The purpose behind meeting with May was to get their opinion and advice on how we should go about to legally form a player's association," he said.

The Pakistan skipper said he has informed the board about the plan but so far they had not responded to him as yet on this topic.

"Even if the board does not support us, we will go ahead with our plan to form the association because many of our cricketers are facing financial problems and their welfare must be taken care off," he said.

The Pakistan captain said the purpose of forming the players association was not to form any parallel body to the cricket board.

"We are not on any confrontation path but we definitely want to have our voice heard in the right places," Younus said.

Sources in the board said some senior officials in the board, including director cricket Javed Miandad, were not in favour of having the players association.

"The board is already providing monthly pensions to many former players. So they are not facing financial problems as severe as Younis believes," a source said.

Sources said Younis is likely to broach this issue with board Chairman Ejaz Butt during the conditioning camp being held in Lahore until Sunday.