The Pakistan Cricket Board has takes the unbelievable decision on Wednesday of lifetime ban on the former captains Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf and also on five more national cricketers all-rounder Shoaib Malik, fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, wicket keeper Kamran Akmal, batsman Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi for affecting the team’s performance. Muhammed Yousuf and Younis Khan have been banned from international cricket for life., while PCB has imposed one-year ban on playing of all-rounder Shoaib Malik and Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, alongwith a fine for Rs 2 million each. Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Omar Akmal have been issued final warnings to improve their disciplinary behavior; while both Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal has been fined Rs. three million and Omar Akmal has been fined Rs. two million. These three have also been placed on a six-month probational period.

The committee had recommended that Yousuf and Younis should no longer be part of the national team in any format because of their bad influence on the team and that Malik and Rana be banned for 12 months and fined Rs 2 million each, the PCB said in a statement. PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said the committee was an independent set up and they interviewed around 13 players and studied the reports of the manager, coach, assistant coach and captain before taking a decision.

Ramiz Raja, also a former Test captain, also criticised the PCB action. Raja said it is not right to impose life term bans on players like Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan, as both were the mainstay of Pakistan’s batting line-up and had produced some great innings while playing for the country.

According to Former Pakistan captain and wicket keeper Rashid Latif banning players was not the right way of improving things. The ban will not stay for long and the players will win cases in court. PCB will be unable to implement the bans because the players will go to court and will also win. “I feel the board is trying to save itself by taking these decisions,” he said adding that the life bans on Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan are unjustified.