Younis defends team: ODI loss not suspicious

Pakistan's Shoaib Malik (left) plays a shot as England's wicket keeper Jos Buttler reacts during the fourth One Day International Cricket match between Pakistan and England at Dubai Sports City in the Gulf Emirate, on Nov 20, 2015. PHOTO: AFP

DUBAI • Pakistan's cricket coach Waqar Younis has dismissed comments made by Michael Vaughan after the former England captain raised suspicions over Pakistan's performance in the third one-day international (ODI) on Tuesday.

Vaughan's comments were prompted by a Pakistan collapse in Sharjah, which contained three run-outs and five boundary catches. At one point, Pakistan lost six wickets for 29 runs.

England won Tuesday's ODI by six wickets and on Friday wrapped up a 3-1 series win with an 84-run victory in the fourth and final match.

But asked if he had any reason to question his players' performances in Sharjah, Younis replied: "There was nothing wrong with that game. You win some games, you lose some. That is the way it is. I have no doubts about my boys."

The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Shahryar Khan, is believed to be consulting the International Cricket Council over a series of tweets by Vaughan during the game which he later deleted.

Vaughan had written: "3 run outs and a few iffy shots from Pakistan. Never seen that before!!" He then tweeted: "They must all think we are stupid."

Khan criticised Vaughan, saying: "I hate the fact we watch cricket with so much suspicions... it shouldn't be that way. I think he has given a very wrong statement.

"We will raise this with the ICC. Although he later deleted those tweets, the damage was done."

Meanwhile the ICC declined to confirm or deny whether it was making a specific investigation into the Sharjah match after a report carried online by the Daily Mail had suggested that the game was the subject of an investigation into suspicious betting patterns.

But David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, told BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: "I wouldn't be suspicious of that game." He said that Pakistan had been reporting any approaches from bookmakers in recent times.

THE GUARDIAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on November 22, 2015, with the headline Younis defends team: ODI loss not suspicious. Subscribe