Yousuf confident of performing well in national T20 C`ship

Karachi: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf said his appetite for cricket and runs has not diminished with age and he is confident of doing well during the upcoming national T20 championship here.

Yousuf, who has been ignored by the national selectors and cricket board since he last played in November, 2010 against South Africa, said he was delighted to make a comeback to domestic cricket by appearing in the national T20 event. Yousuf missed playing in the President`s Trophy first class tournament for which he had applied to the board. "Missing out on the President`s Trophy was disappointing but these things happen and there is no point in worrying about that. It would have been good to play some 4 day cricket but it wasn`t meant to be and there is nothing I can do about it," said Yousuf, who would lead the Lahore Lions. "As far as my appetite for top class cricket is concerned ? it has never diminished. I still want to play cricket at the highest level, as much as I always have wanted to," he told the Pakpassion.Net website in an interview. "As far as a return to international cricket is concerned ahead of the series in India and then South Africa, I`m not even thinking about it. That is down to the selectors, the most important thing is to get some domestic cricket under my belt and make some runs. The rest is out of my hands." Yousuf insisted that he was in good shape to play in the T20 format and that he kept his batting skills upto date with regular practice. "Whilst I`ve not been playing first class cricket in the ongoing Presidents Trophy, I have been playing club cricket in Lahore as well as doing a lot of gym work to maintain my levels of fitness," he said. "In addition I have been going to the National Cricket Academy on a regular basis to work on my batting with the coaches at the NCA," he added. Yousuf said he was delighted to be leading the Lahore team in the coming event. "I`m delighted to be playing domestic cricket in Pakistan again. It`s been a long break and I am raring to go. I`m excited at the thought of playing in the upcoming domestic T20 tournament in Karachi in front of the local crowds. "Twenty20 cricket in Pakistan is very popular and playing in front of big crowds and passionate fans always brings the best out of players irrespective of how long they have been playing and I am no different." Yousuf`s illustrious career has spanned 90 tests and 288 one-day internationals. PTI