Nasim Ashraf does not squirm as he dubs Mohammad Yousuf as the backbone of Pakistani batting line-up and the PCB Chairman is optimistic that the run-machine is not yet lost to the lure of Indian Cricket League (ICL).
An overtly religious Yousuf’s decision to defect to the cash-rich rebel league, even if it jeopardised his career with the national team, rocked the Pakistan Cricket Board but Ashraf insists he has not given up yet.
“Yes, he has been the backbone of Pakistan batting and we badly need him back to where he belonged. Whether it’s Test or one-dayers, he was one player we could not do away with. And I’m still confident that we would see him in Pakistan colours again,” Ashraf said.
Yousuf, along with his former captain Inzamam-ul Haq and team-mates Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat and Azhar Mahmood, joined the Indian breakaway league but Ashraf is confident he can wean away the player.
“I’m still hopeful. I don’t know whether he has indeed signed the contract. I hope he, for the team’s sake, and above all, his career’s sake, takes the right decision.
“He is basically a good human being, a gentleman and a perfect team-man to boot. He has been an indispensable player for us and it would be good for both parties if he comes back.”
Yousuf was in scintillating form last year, scoring 1,788 runs in 11 Tests, including nine hundreds, a feat that won him the ICC Test Player of the Year award in Johannesburg earlier this week.
His achievement also saw him pip Viv Richards’ long-standing record of most Test runs in a calendar year, besides hitting most Test hundreds in a year.