"Obviously anyone would be disappointed at losing the captaincy," Malim said on Wednesday.

"But the Chairman of the Board requested me to step down at this stage and I agreed because nothing is bigger then the team," he said.

Malik was yesterday asked to step down in the wake of Pakistan's lost a one-day series to Sri Lanka with the team being bowled out for 75 in the final match at Lahore.

The Pakistan Board has appointed Younis Khan as the new captain while Misbah-ul Haq remains the vice-captain.

Malik dismissed suggestions that it would be hard for him to continue in the team because of the ill feeling created between him and senior players during his captaincy.

"There was and is no ill-feeling and I did my best to give them respect. If the Board feels the time is right for a new captain I have no problems. For me playing for Pakistan remains an honour," Malik added.

Malik made it clear he had a lot of respect for the senior players including Younis and the main aim of every player must be to see the team do well.

"I did my best as captain. I am human and may have made mistakes but time and people would be the judge of how well I captained the side. It was a great learning experience and I felt I had started improving a lot," Malik said.

The allrounder, who captained the side between April 2007 and until now, said he would now focus on his own game and try to improve his performances to a level where the team can benefit.

The media has reported that the Board decided to remove Malik as captain after the Lahore match because of the negative vibes they got from senior players and the team management.