KARACHI - Pakistan captain Younis Khan has appealed to cricket fans to stop blaming ‘groupism’ in his team for its below-par performance in the current tour of Sri Lanka.

Younis said in an interview Monday that he believes the main reason for his players’ failure to play well during the tour lay in the poor structure back home.

“The problem with Pakistan cricket is that our domestic structure is flawed,” said Younis.

Pakistan lost in the Test series 0-2 against Sri Lanka last month and has failed to impress in the ongoing One-day International series.

“The players produced by our cricket have flawed technique. They only manage to overcome it once they start playing for the national team,” he lamented.

Younis said that he faced similar problems early in his career.

“When I made it into the Pakistan team, my technique was not so good. It took me two years to get it right,” he added.

Experts have blamed lack of unity in the Pakistan team for its poor showing in Sri Lanka, with some critics even claiming that a few senior players like former captain Shoaib Malik and vice-captain Misbah-ul-Haq are intentionally under-performing to cause Younis’ downfall.

Some critics have also fired Younis over his inability to gel the team together and have said that the captain currently stands isolated.

Younis, however, rejected such claims and said that he has an excellent rapport with all his players, including the seniors.

The skipper also laughed off suggestions that because of his temperamental nature, he has failed to develop proper relationship with the players.

“I’m not a mad man. I don’t go out fighting with everyone,” he said. “I have a perfectly fine relationship with the players.”