Islamabad
Former Pakistan batting coach Grant Flower has issued an apology for his ‘knife to throat’ statement about former Pakistan batting great and incumbent batting coach Younis Khan.
The 94-year-old Zimbabwean in an interview had claimed that Younis once held a knife to his throat when he offered him batting advice, during a tour to Australia. “I apologise for my remarks regarding Younis Khan,” Flower said as quoted by website cricflare.com.
“I gave that answer in response to a question, after the interview had finished, but I did not know that it would get so much hype in media,” he added. Flower served as Pakistan’s batting coach in a tenure that started in 2014 and ended in 2019.
Earlier, former Pakistan captain and chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq, has rubbished Grant Flower’s claim that Younis Khan once held a knife to the Zimbabwean’s throat on receiving some unwanted batting advice during a tour to Australia.
Speaking on a cricket podcast, Flower alleged that the incident occurred during his nearly five-year stint with the national team between 2014 and 2019. He said the incident took place during Pakistan’s tour of Australia in 2016 and head coach Mickey Arthur was also present at the breakfast table.
Backing Younis, who is currently the batting coach of Pakistan, Inzamam said this is the first time he had heard about it and being the chief selector he would have known if such an incident had occurred. Grant Flower: ‘Younis Khan once held a knife to my throat’
“I was the chief selector at that time and I don’t recall any such incident taking place or being reported to me. I don’t know what prompted Grant Flower to say this but I have played a lot with Younis and I know him very well, there is just no way he could have done such a thing with anyone leave alone Grant,” he told Dawn TV. According to local media reports, the matter between Younis.—APP
