Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday, rejected Younis Khan's resignation and named him skipper of the national team until the 2011 World Cup, bringing an end to the uncertainty surrounding the captaincy following match-fixing allegations.
PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt told reporters that the board had rejected Younis' resignation and he would continue in this position until the next World Cup.
"I don't see any justification for removing him as captain. He has done a great job with the team and as long as he remains fit and in form and the selectors keep on selecting him, he remains our captain till the next World Cup," Butt told reporters.
The announcement squashed the hopes of the anti-Younis lobby in Pakistan cricket that had launched a campaign against him, claiming some senior players would revolt if Younis was retained as the captain of the side.
Butt also said the board had retained Shahid Afridi as captain of the Twenty20 side until the Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies next year.
Younis had resigned last week after a hearing of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, protesting the match-fixing allegations made by the committee chairman Jamshed Dasti, who had accused the team of under-performing against Australia and New Zealand in the recent Champions Trophy.
Pakistan lost in the semi-finals of the tournament to New Zealand with Younis leading the side despite having a fractured finger.
Butt said when PCB had named Younis in January this year, the board had not discussed any term for his captaincy.
"But now obviously he wants security like any other captain. So he will remain our captain until the next World Cup. He is doing a good job and that is his right," Butt said.
Butt defended Younis' resignation in the face of the match-fixing allegations, saying it was a natural reaction by the senior player.
"He reacted after so many things happened and I would have done the same had I been in his place," Butt said.
Pakistan play three One day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches against New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates next month.
