Recently, former Pakistan batting coach, Zimbabwe’s Grant Flower had said in a podcast that former Pak captain Younis Khan had put a knife to his throat after being asked to make tweaks in his batting during the tour to Australia some time back.

Younis is currently the batting coach of Pakistan team which is in England at the moment for their three Tests and three T20Is tour. The Pakistan Cricket Board and the national team touring England have refused to comment on Flower’s allegations.

However, a PCB source has clarified to PTI that the incident had indeed taken place in Brisbane during the 2016 tour and though it has been portrayed seriously by Grant Flower, it was just friendly banter on the breakfast table.

"It was a dining knife," Mickey Arthur sheds more light on Grant Flower-Younis Khan knife incident

"But the impression being spread by Grant Flower is not entirely true. Younis apparently had jokingly picked up the butter knife and waved it around telling Grant to just let him have his breakfast and not give advice at the breakfast table," the source said.

Younis is unlikely to respond to Grant's narration of what happened, the source added.

Grant Flower had said that then-coach Mickey Arthur had to intervene and calm Younis down, while Arthur has said it was a butter knife.

The PCB source said it was saddening to see former coaches and support staff, who have worked with the Pakistan team, disclose confidential information in public once their contracts end.

"And they also tend to add salt and pepper to incidents to grab headlines," he asserted.

(PTI inputs)