Pakistan axe Younis for Australia one-day series

Thursday, 25 September 2014 01:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

KARACHI (Reuters): Pakistan have axed senior batsman Younis Khan for next month’s one-day series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates as they announced their ODI and Twenty20 squads on Wednesday.

After a one-off T20 match on Oct. 5, Pakistan will play Australia in three one-dayers over the following week before the first test starts on Oct. 22 in Dubai. Younis, 36, was recalled to the side for the August ODI series in Sri Lanka and played in the first game before returning home due to the death of his nephew. Younis, who has played 254 ODIs, had previously been sidelined by the selectors since March, 2013. “Younis has been dropped as part of a strategy to look forward to the future but the doors are not closed on him,” chief selector Moin Khan told a news conference. “There is little time left before the World Cup so the selectors have decided to try out and give more exposure to the new and younger players,” he added. Australia and New Zealand will host the World Cup from Feb. 14-March 29 next year. Younis, despite having an impressive batting average of 51 in 91 tests, has not been as effective in ODIs, scoring 7017 runs at an average of 31.