June 28, 2021
Former Pakistan batting coach Younis Khan broke silence over his spat with right-arm pacer Hassan Ali Monday.
The ex-Pakistan skipper said Ali had apologised to him after their spat, and that the two had moved past the incident.
Khan stepped down from his position as batting coach a few days ago, surprising many. Neither did the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) nor did the former captain speak on the reason for Khan quitting the position.
"Hassan Ali apologised to me, and I had forgiven him," Younis Khan said in a statement. "To play up the Hassan Ali incident [and use it] as a possible reason for my resignation comes as a surprise to me," he added.
Khan clarified that it was the PCB's Strength and Conditioning Coach Yasir Malik who requested him to speak to Ali on taking an ice bath.
Speaking about his resignation, Khan said he had kept silent over the matter in the larger interest of the PCB and Pakistani cricket.
"I have never looked towards the PCB for a job or for any position," he said. "I was approached for the position [of batting coach] by the Board," added the former batsman.
Veteran Pakistan sports reporter Saj Sadiq had revealed the incident a few days ago on Twitter, stating that a spat between the two took place when Ali refused to take an ice bath as suggested by Khan.
He said the incident reportedly took place during Pakistan's tour of South Africa.
As per Sadiq, the altercation got to the point where the two had to be separated by coaching staff members and other team players.
A day earlier, Sadiq spoke more about the incident, saying that Khan had allegedly locked himself in a room and refused to talk to Ali, even after the fast bowler had apologised to him.