The mid tour announcement by Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ijaz Butt that current captain Mohammad Yousuf will be removed as skipper after the tour of Australia, was eyeraising even by Pakistani cricket standards. The decision to end Yousuf's short tenure was not a surprise, but the timing of the announcement has left a bitter taste for many.

Former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal spoke to PakPassion.net about the decision to remove Mohammad Yousuf and who he thinks should replace the outgoing captain.

"The PCB have a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot and this is exactly what they have done once again with the timing of the announcement regarding Mohammad Yousuf. The sensible option would have been to wait until the tour of Australia was complete and then make any such announcement to the press. The recent statement regarding Yousuf being removed as captain after the tour of Australia, shows a lack of respect towards a cricketer that has represented his country for many years and has performed so well over that period of time. This is not the way to handle a seasoned player like Yousuf or for that matter any of your cricketers" stated Iqbal.

Iqbal unhappy with the timing of the announcement by Ijaz Butt, though has no problems with the decision to remove Yousuf as captain. "Yousuf is a reluctant captain, the change is the right one as Yousuf is not inspiring as a captain".

Iqbal who represented Pakistan on 68 occasions in an international career that spanned 16 years feels that Shahid Afridi should be asked to lead the Pakistan team in all three formats of the game. "Shahid Afridi should be asked to start playing test cricket once again and if he agrees he should be made the captain in test cricket, 50 over cricket as well as continuing to captain the country in the 20 over format".

Iqbal who was a firm favourite for many seasons for English County Team Kent continued "If Afridi agrees to captain the team in all three versions, then that gives the selectors an opportunity to name a young vice captain and groom him for the future. However if Afridi will not accept the challenge of captaining the Pakistan team in one day internationals and test cricket, then I have no idea who the selectors could turn to, as I simply don't see any standout candidate".

After his recent troubles former captain Younus Khan has returned to international cricket for the one day series in Australia and could be a candidate to reclaim the captaincy, however Iqbal is against the return of Younus as captain and stated "The Board should not go back to Younus Khan as captain. I have no idea what has gone on behind the scenes with Younus, but I think reinstating him as captain would not be a wise choice and one that is not fair on Younus himself and above all on the team".

Pakistan have three 50 over matches and one Twenty/20 international remaining on their tour of Australia. The new captain's first challenge will be two one day internationals against England in the UAE.