'Wrong role model' in Misbah harming other players: Mohammad Yousuf

Legend batsman calls for Inzamamul Haq to be appointed as batting coach.

ISLAMABAD: Former batsman Mohammad Yousuf on Tuesday urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to appoint Inzamamul Haq as the national team's batting coach, not hesitating to remark that the current batsmen owe their batting woes to 'following the wrong role model' in Misbahul Haq.

Yousuf said the team would continue to struggle in registering victories until its batting problems were addressed.

Pakistan lost the one-day series to South Africa by 1-4 on Monday after another batting collapse. The team is exptected to play two T20s starting from November 13.

"I don't know whether we need a head coach but we definitely need a batting coach as soon as possible and there is no better person than Inzamam to do this," The Asian Age quoted Yousuf as saying.

The former batting maestro said unlike Indian cricket, there was an absence of a high-calibre batsman in Pakistan whom people could emulate.

"We don't have any impact batsmen like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli simply because we have developed wrong role models for our new batsmen and that is now beginning to show," he said.

Yousuf, one of Pakistan's top batsmen, said he idolised greats like Javed Miandad and Inzamam but in the last few years Pakistani youngsters had started following the wrong role models.

"India has developed quality batsmen because their youngsters followed proper role models. Their selectors and system recognises and allows their young batsmen to develop and move forward with confidence," he said, before adding, "I don't think there is any favoritism or bias involved in their system."

'Strange batting technique' infecting others

Yousuf minced no words while blasting Misbahul Haq for the present problems.

"Misbah has a strange batting technique and he is someone who consumes lot of balls to get going and is yet not capable of playing an impact innings. The nature of his batting is now beginning to show in our other players."

"He is the wrong example for the other batsmen to follow because technically he himself is suspect against fast bowlers and doesn't have the range of strokes to come and bat higher up the order to play the true captain's role," claimed Yousuf.

"Neither does he have ability to go for big scores or finish a match."

He further said that seeing the state of affairs in the team, Misbah should have been batting at number three, but he has refused to do so and as a result we are now seeing a generation of batsmen who are not technically correct and who are satisfied with just a half-century or more.

Selection committee not experienced enough

Speaking on a private TV channel late Monday night, Mohammad Yousuf had also slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for appointing a selection committee short of the requisite experience in cricket.

"What standing do these selectors have and exactly how much international cricket have they have played?" he asked the day Pakistan suffered a massive 117-run loss in the fifth and final One Day International.

"The poor selection was evident from the team's recent performances against Zimbabwe and South Africa," he remarked.

The committee is without a Chief Selector after Iqbal Qasim decided not to continue at the expiry of his contract.

"The selectors are there with certain references at their credit and not on merit. They are there to earn money and not to serve the game," he said.