Lahore: Former Pakistan cricket captain Mohammad Yousuf should focus only on the Test format of the game, his compatriot and former wicketkeeper Moin Khan has said.
“Yousuf should concentrate only on Test cricket,” a website quoted Moin, as saying.
He felt that Yousuf does not warrant selection in the Pakistan World Cup Squad due to being dogged by injuries of late, and although he was selected for the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa in UAE, he was only able to play the final game before being ruled out of the Test series against the Proteas after picking up a recurrence of his old groin injury.
“How can you select a player (for the final ODI) who has fitness issues and he has just recovered, and arrived in the UAE ahead of a young guy who has been playing well.”Moin was of the view that the rigours of One-day Internationals and Twenty20 cricket were no longer for the Pakistani batting stalwart, and that his spot should be filled by the young and impressive right-hand top order batsman, Asad Shafiq.
“Yousuf has a lot of fitness issues and a young player like Asad should get a chance. Asad was playing well in the ODI against South Africa but for some reason he was dropped for Yousuf.”
As the cricket world prepares for the World Cup event to be held in the subcontinent next year, Moin was circumspect on Pakistan’s chances.
“PCB have made a lot of mess. The team should have been finalised 6 months ago, but unfortunately we are still not sure who will be in the squad.”He also mirrored the views of ex-Pakistani coach Geoff Lawson in claiming, “There is lot of instability in the team like the board and if Pakistan does well, it has to be due to individual brilliance.”
ANI
First Published: Saturday, November 27, 2010, 22:12