Yousuf’s presence would be a huge boost: Mohsin Khan

Pakistan’s chief selector Mohsin Khan claimed the presence of Muhammad Yousuf will give a huge boost to the team.

Rejecting objections by several former players over Muhammad Yousuf’s return, Pakistan’s chief selector Mohsin Khan claimed the presence of the former captain will give a huge boost to the team in the remaining Tests against England.

Yousuf, after obtaining the UK visa, is all set to join team in Birmingham today ahead of the second Test against England that starts tomorrow.

Mohsin, a former Test cricketer was of the opinion that Yousuf’s experience will prove to be helpful to the inexperienced batting line-up.

“Yousuf is one of the best batsmen in the world. The presence of such a player will definitely give a huge boost to the team,” Mohsin told The Express Tribune.

Following the inclusion of Yousuf in the side, former Test cricketers including another former captain Inzamamul Haq questioned the Pakistan Cricket Board’s lack of consistency saying the board should have stuck to their initial plan of relying on youngsters for the England tour.

Inzamam also doubted that Yousuf, who has not played international cricket since January, would be able to make any difference to the side.

But Mohsin remained adamant that Yousuf has the class to make a difference in the team, whose batting has left a lot to be desired on the England tour.

“Yousuf is a seasoned player and presence of an experienced player is always good for the team especially when the team includes youngsters,” stated Mohsin while adding that youngsters will also get the chance to learn from the experienced batsman.

The chief selector was hopeful that Yousuf would not show signs of rustiness when makes his international comeback after almost seven months.

“He has played a lot in English conditions, I hope he will overcome the lack of practice soon and will use all his experience to score runs for the team,” said Mohsin.

Team management to discuss Yousuf’s inclusion in second Test

With the PCB ensuring Yousuf’s arrival in Birmingham before the start of the second Test, the team management has said that it will assess the player’s fitness before naming him in the playing eleven.

“We will discuss Yousuf’s selection in the team for the second Test following his arrival in Birmingham,” team manager Yawar Saeed said from Birmingham.

Mohsin also stated that the team management in England will have to see whether he is ready to play the match.

“Yousuf is leaving in a hurry, he would have travelled for hours before the first day of the Test so the team management will have to assess whether he is mentally ready to play or not,” said Mohsin.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2010.