Bitter truth: Younis Khan backs Shoaib Akhtar over defamation case

Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has threw his weight behind legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar, after a defamation lawsuit was filed against the latter by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s legal advisor, Tafazzul Rizvi.

Rizvi has sent Rs.100 million notice to former Pakistan pacer Akhtar for his defamatory remarks regarding the Umar Akmal case. Rizvi has asked Akhtar to retract his statement while tendering an unconditional apology.

Akhtar, while speaking on a local news channel and his YouTube channel on Tuesday, had accused Rizvi of having a personal agenda against Pakistan cricketers, after the board announced a three-year ban on middle-order batsman Akmal.

"The PCB's legal department is rotten to the core. Tafazzul Rizvi in particular is one such individual. He has deep connections and has been with the board for 10-15 years," said Akhtar. "The thing that angered me the most was when he dragged Shahid Afridi in courts. I believe that stars are born and must be respected, and these lawyers use our high-profile cases to earn fame."

"He is an idiot of the highest order and has lost cases against me, Afridi, doping case ... everything. What he does is that he pits PCB against its players and profits off of their legal wrangles," he added.

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Speaking on the issue, the 2009 T20 World Cup winning Pakistan captain, Younis, has asked PCB to honestly evaluate Akhtar’s remarks.

“What a befitting and bitter truth spoken by Shoaib Akhtar! It takes a backbone to be simply uncompromisingly forthright. Time for the PCB to honestly evaluate his remarks for the betterment of Pakistan Cricket and its players. I stand by with #ShoaibAkhtar,” said Younis in a tweet.

What a befitting and bitter truth spoken by @shoaib100mph! It takes a backbone to be simply uncompromisingly forthright. Time for @TheRealPCB to honestly evaluate his remarks for the betterment of Pakistan Cricket and its players. I stand by with #ShoaibAkhtar. pic.twitter.com/VuVYIYpcgi

— Younus Khan (@YounusK75) April 29, 2020

The 44-year-old, Akhtar, featured in 46 Tests and 163 ODIs for Pakistan, in which he bagged 178 and 247 wickets respectively. He also took 19 T20I wickets in 15 appearances.