Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board will announce on Monday whether Younis Khan will continue as captain of the Test and ODl sides or a new skipper will take over. PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt is due to address a press conference immediately after concluding a meeting of the governing council in Lahore in which he is expected to inform the members what he plans to do.

Pakistan cricket has plunged into a crisis since last week when Younis submitted his resignation to Butt in protest against the match-fixing allegations made against him and his team for lossing to Australia and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy.

The crisis has also created a clear divide in Pakistan cricket with one side pressurizing the board to accept Younis' resignation and opt for a new captain while the other side believes the board should convince Younis to take 'back his resignation by accepting some of his demands.

The anti-Younis camp is propagating that if the board does not accept his resignation. it might lead to all open revolt by around eight to nine players in the team against his captaincy Former captains backed Younis Khan to continue as the national team skipper, saying he is the bast man to lead the side.

Govt. not to interfere:Pakistan's Sports Minister Aftab Shah Jillani on Sunday
said the government would not interfere in the Younis Khan captaincy issue and would allow the Cricket Board to take whatever concision it felt was best for the team. Jillani told reporters that he had conveyed this to the board chairman Ejaz Butt.

“The PCB knows best what to do. But we hope whatever decision is taken is
taken keeping in mind the long term in terest of Pakistan cricket,” he said.

PCB chief blames media: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt on Sunday blamed the media for making speculations cad insisted he had not taken any decision to replace Younis Khan by Shahid Afridi as national team captain.
“It is all speculation by the media that the board has decided to remove Younus as captain and appoint Shahid Afridi in his place. No such decision has been taken,”

Deccan Chargers Crash Out Losing To Trinidad & Tobago

Score Card

Deccan Chargers couldn't have timed their ninth defeat at the rajiv Gandhi International Stadium any worse. Their second defeat in Group A of the champions League Twenty20 brought curtains to their campaign while Trinidad and Tobago,who won the crucial league encounter by three runs here on Wednesday,and Somerset Sabres progress to Super Eight.

The hosts needed a win against the Caribbean champions to stay alive in the competition but the effort of turbo charged west Indian Fidel Edwards,who bowled brilliantly brilliantly at the 'death,' and skipper Adam Gilchrist(51, 36b, 64s,26s) who added 55 for the fourth wicket with Rohit Sharma (25,24b,34s) went in vain. The Chargers,who needed 38 from the last 30 deliveries, finished at 146 for nine.

Dame fortune, which the Chargers desperately hoped would smile on them, did and gilchrist did not think twice before sending the opponents in. And the 149 for seven Trinidad & Tobago scored didn't look huge,especially when the ball was regularly hitting the sweet spot of Gilchrist,s bat.

T&T and Somerset had two points each before this encounter but the latter had a poor run-rate compared to T&T and Chargers, and the home supporters had their hearts in the mouth as Gilly upper cut sailed perilously close over the third man's head off the second ball of the innings.But his partner, VVS Laxman succumbed cheaply to Dwayne Bravo at the other end. They also lost Abhinav Kumar off the last delivery of the over.

It could have been worse had Dwayne Bravo has held on to a fierce shot by Andrew Symonds off Ravi Rampaul, but the Australian all-rounder who had an excellent outing with the ball, did not capitalize and was caught short by William Perkins' throw from the deep. At 31 for three in the first five overs, the situation looked very familier for Rohit Sharma.

The Gilchrist-Rohit duo showed all it needed for them to win was some commonsense cricket something which the latter order showed complete disregard to-and meted out Kieron Pollard the same treatment he gave the Chargers' attack.