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Mohammad Yousuf
Until his conversion to Islam in 2005, Mohammad Yousuf (formely known as
Yousuf Youhana) was one of a handful of Christians to play for Pakistan.
After a difficult debut against South Africa in 1997-98, he quickly
established himself as a stylish world-class batsman, and a pillar of
Pakistan's middle order, alongside Inzamam-ul-Haq.
He is no sluggard, but gathers his runs through orthodox, composed
strokeplay, unlike some of his colleagues who seldom hint at permanence.
He is particularly strong driving through the covers and flicking wristily
off his legs and brings with him as decadent and delicious a backlift as
any in the game. A tendency to
 overbalance
when playing across his front leg can get him into trouble. He excels at
both versions of the game, and in one-day cricket can score 20 or 30 runs
before anyone notices. He is quick between the wickets although not
necessarily the best judge of a single. There had been questions about his
temperament as batsman when the pressure is on, but between 2004 and 2005,
he began to silence critics.
First came a spellbindingly languid century against the Australians in
Melbourne, as captain to boot, where he ripped into Shane Warne like few
Pakistani batsmen have before or since. A century in the cauldron of
Kolkatta followed but he ended the year with possibly his most important
knock: a double century against England at Lahore so easy on the eye, you
almost didn't notice it. Yousuf displaying an unusual responsibility,
eschewing the waftiness that has previously blighted him.
In 2006, Yousuf truly came of age in a record-breaking year. He began by
plundering India and continued in England, not just scoring under
pressure, but scoring big. A double ton at Lord's was followed by another
big hundred at Headingly and the Oval. He rounded off a fantastic year
with four hundreds in three Tests against the West Indies, a feat that
took him past Viv Richards's long-standing record of most Test runs in a
calendar year and also saw him establish the record for most Test hundreds
(9) in a year. A poor World Cup - and he certainly wasn't alone - didn't
deter from the impression that Yousuf, with Inzamam-ul-Haq gone, had taken
over as Pakistan's premier batsman,
But his surprise exclusion from the 15-man squad for the 2007 Twenty20
World Championship led him to signing up for the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
Though the PCB persuaded him to cancel the ICL contract and sign a
national contract instead and he was swiftly drafted into the national
side for the Test and ODI series against South Africa, he did eventually
join the ICL in November 2008. However, with the PCB granting an amnesty
to players in the unofficial league, he was picked for Pakistan's
15-member squad for the tour of Sri Lanka in June 2009, signalling a
delayed, but much-needed comeback.
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