Pakistan's Unwell Younis Khan doubtful for Cochin ODI
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

COCHIN (India): Younis Khan, who plundered scores of 267 and 84 not out in Pakistan’s Test victory in Bangalore and totalled 508 runs at 101.60 in the Test series, is running high fever and there is concern if he would be fit in time for the first One-day International here tomorrow, Saturday.

Manager Saleem Altaf said Younis had been running a high temperature of around 102 and 103 since Wednesday and soon after the team reached the city this afternoon, he was taken to hospital for tests.

"Today he was again running a temperature and we are concerned and want to know what is wrong with him. The temperature goes down and then rises again," he said.

Younis himself was clearly weak from the fever but said he was confident he could recover in time for the first one-dayer. "Hopefully the tests results will be known today and after getting medication I should be okay in a day’s time as I’m really looking forward to playing in the first one-dayer," he said.

Younis also didn’t come to the ground in Hyderabad on Wednesday during the practice match and rested at the hotel.

Team sources said Younis had been in high spirits during the dinner hosted by the in-laws of Shoaib Malik at their residence in Hyderabad on Tuesday night but since then had started running temperature. "Perhaps the Hyderabadi dishes didn’t suit him," one of his teammates joked.

The Pakistan vice captain has come in for special praise from the Indian captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday who wrote in his column that Younis and Virender Sehwag had batted like champions in the Test series. Both of them were the only batsmen to score 500 runs in the three Tests.

"For Pakistan, Younis Khan’s batting was a revelation. He showed tremendous application and was prepared to stay at the wicket," Ganguly wrote. "And Mohammad Sami got better and better with every game," he added.

Altaf said the rest of the players were in fine spirits and had been given a day off on Thursday to relax and unwind.

"We’ll be having nets tomorrow and then it is the start of another tough series for us and hopefully the boys will again show complete application and concentration toward the job," he said.●