Yousuf may make comeback

Akram claims to have convinced former captain to make international return

DUBAI: Pakistan’s former captain Mohammad Yousuf may be all set to take the international cricket stage again following advice from former left-arm pacer and captain Wasim Akram. Yousuf had quit playing cricket in protest at the indefinite ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), after the team’s performance in their tour to Australia under his captaincy.

“I had a word with Yousuf and convinced him that there is at least three years of cricket left in him, and so he should return to international cricket,” Akram told Gulf News when asked whether Yousuf’s decision to leave the sport was a hasty one.

“I told him that he should not worry about what the cricket board or the players, and that he should concentrate on his cricket.” Akram also reminded Yousuf that he could keep his current average of 50 in Test cricket steady if he continued playing during the next two years.

“Yousuf realised that I was correct and has decided to play cricket again,” added Akram, who believes that Yousuf’s inclusion can bolster the team’s middle order.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2010.