Former captain Younis Khan has stepped down as Pakistan's batting coach before their coming tours of England and the West Indies, the country's cricket board said on Tuesday.
His departure leaves Pakistan without a batting coach for their limited-overs matches in England in July, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it would bring in a replacement for the matches in the West Indies in July and August.
Younis was appointed last November on a two-year contract that ran until the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.
"It is sad to lose an expert of the stature and experience of Younis Khan," PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said in a statement, without saying why Younis was leaving the post.
"Following a series of discussions, we both have reluctantly but mutually and amicably agreed that it was time to move in different directions."
He said he was hopeful Younis would be available for similar stints in the future.
The announcement was followed by speculation that Younis himself had decided to quit the position as he was not happy with his role and wanted greater say in selection matters.
According to a source, he was not satisfied with the way the national team is being prepared for the future.
Both PCB and Younis have agreed to not to make any further comment on the reasons for the former captain's departure, the Board statement said.
The Pakistan team is due to start a tour of the UK from June 25 to July 20 for three ODIs and three T20Is. The team will next go to the West Indies from July 21 to August 24 to feature in five T20Is and two Tests.
The team will leave for Manchester on Friday to play three one-dayers and three T20 matches in England.
From there, they will fly to West Indies to play five T20 matches and two tests.
Younis, who remains Pakistan's top Test run-getter with over 10,000 runs, has had his fair share of problems with the cricket establishment.
In 2007, he refused to captain the Pakistan team in the Champions Trophy after he didn't get time to meet with the PCB Chairman.
In 2009, he resigned as captain after a revolt by some players against his leadership style.
At the fag end of his career, he even returned a cash award given to him by the PCB as he was not happy with the treatment meted out to him by the authorities.
