“Bob Woolmer was like a father figure to us”: Younis Khan
View(s):PakPassion.net : There seems to be a great bond between Pakistan fans and yourself. What is the reason for this and what do you attribute your popularity to?
Younis Khan : The main reason for this is that I always remember that I am what I am due to my country, Pakistan. Wherever and whenever I play for my country, I always try to promote the best aspects of our national character. I feel very proud to see our national flag flying around different parts of the world and to hear our national anthem as well. I feel proud that I am able to represent my country at the highest level. All Pakistan cricket followers know my qualities and also know my character and I suppose wherever I go, they appreciate me.
PakPassion.net : Shahid Afridi mentioned the fact that captaincy of the Pakistan team is not exactly a ‘bed of roses’. Do you agree with that assessment?
Younis Khan : I don’t agree with this. My view is that as long as you can be fair to your team mates then there is no harm in taking on the role of captain. The real problems happen when a captain gets involved in too many minor things and tries to take on too many issues to fix.
As a captain, the first thing you need to worry about is your own performance as only after performing well yourself can you motivate others. Then, everything else falls into place. Like I said, sometimes, captains get involved in minor details and then when things don’t go their way, they feel exposed. So, basically be fair and look after the needs of the team and they will look up to you as their leader.
Now, your own performance is very important as well and you have to lead from the front. This you do not do with the bat and ball alone, but also by your body language, which I feel is equally important. It is quite possible that you will not perform that well in every game. However this should have no effect on the body language of the captain as the team which has youngsters in it as well, looks up to you as does the whole nation. Obviously as a captain, if you perform well, you will lead better but this should not be the case. During my time as captain, I always made sure that regardless of my personal performance, I was able to motivate the team to the best of my ability.
PakPassion.net : Your performances against Australia is the stuff of dreams! How would you rate these innings as far as your career is concerned?
Younis Khan: I wouldn’t say that these are my best performances but the fact is that I never had any performance of note against Australia before this series. I had only played six Test matches before this series. I had first played against them in 2002 and after that played in 2005/2006 so there has been a lengthy gap before I had an opportunity to play against Australia again. Also if you consider the score situation when I arrived at the crease to play these innings then I would say that these innings happened at the right time and were good for the team as well.
PakPassion.net : There was an impression before the series that, given his reputation, Mitchell Johnson would be the biggest threat to Pakistan. Do you feel that the Pakistan batting countered that threat well during this series?
Younis Khan : Let me make this very clear. Mitchell Johnson is a top world class bowler and even in this series, he troubled all batsmen without a doubt by picking up wickets and maintaining a low economy rate, especially considering that these are pitches which are not that helpful to fast-bowlers.
You can say that we were lucky in certain aspects against him and also the fact that we were able to build some good partnerships along the way which helped us. We were able to build a momentum via our partnerships and then Australia also found itself conceding leads which put extra pressure on their bowling.
We also need to consider the impact of the weather in the UAE which was extremely hot at times and very distressing for fast-bowlers. So you can take all of these factors into consideration when you talk about the effectiveness of Johnson. However whichever way you look at it, the fact remains that Mitchell Johnson is a top quality bowler.
PakPassion.net : This may be a hypothetical scenario but would you be in a position to accept the captaincy of the Test or One Day team if it was offered to you?
Younis Khan : First of all, let me make it clear that it’s indeed an honour to lead your national side. Although, it is true that I have kept myself away from this whole subject as I didn’t want to be involved in any controversy. However, if in the future, I am asked to do this job and if that helps the Pakistan team to win a series or the World Cup, then I will always make myself available for this position.
PakPassion.net : You were very close to the late Bob Woolmer whilst he was coach of the Pakistan team. What memories do you have of that time and how did you feel when he passed away?
Younis Khan : The one thing I remember about Bob Woolmer was that he was more than a coach for the team. I miss Bob, he was like an elder family member to all of us. Bob Woolmer was like a father figure to us; one who you could approach if you had any issue to discuss. What Bob had done was to make the environment such that we felt that we were part of a family. This is why I mention him a lot in my comments because I really feel that the best part of my career coincided with Bob’s tenure as coach which ended in unfortunate circumstances.
He treated all the players with the same respect regardless of seniority – whether it was Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan or Abdul Razzaq, each of us got the same level of attention. I believe we did really well under his tenure although the end wasn’t as expected with us being knocked out of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, followed by the tragic loss of our beloved coach. I still feel that Bob Woolmer changed a lot about Pakistan cricket and also had a profound effect on the players as well.