Mohammad Yousuf (Punjabi, Urdu: محمد یوسف ; formerly Yousuf Youhana, یوسف یوحنا; born 27 August 1974, Sargodha, Punjab,Pakistan) is a Pakistani right-handed batsman. He is best known in cricket for his achievement in 2006 when he broke the world record for most Test runs in a single calendar year.[1] Prior to his conversion to Islam in 2005, Yousuf was one of only a few Christians to play for the Pakistan cricket team.
Yousuf was effectively banned from playing international cricket for Pakistan, for an indefinite period by the Pakistan Cricket Board on 10 March 2010, following an inquiry into the team's defeat during the tour of Australia.[2] An official statement was released by the Pakistan Cricket Board, saying that he would not be selected again on the grounds of inciting infighting within the team.[2]
On 29 March 2010, Yousuf announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket[3], a direct reaction of the indefinite ban handed out to him by PCB. However following Pakistan's disastrous first Test against England in July/August 2010, PCB decided to ask Yousuf to come out of retirement.[4]
[edit]Career
He made his Test debut against South Africa at Durban and One Day International debut against Zimbabwe at Harare. He has scored over 9,000 One Day International runs at an average above 40 (2nd highest batting average among Pakistani batsmen after Zaheer Abbas) and over 7,000 Test runs at an average above 50 (highest batting average amongst all Pakistani batsmen) with 24 Testcenturies. He has the record of scoring the most runs without being dismissed in the One Day International match, with a total of 405 runs against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe in 2002-2003. He has also scored a 23-ball fifty and a 68-ball hundred in One Day International. In Test match, he has scored a 27-ball fifty, which is 3rd fastest by any player. He was the top scorer during the successive years of 2002 and 2003 in the world in One Day International match. In 2004, he scored 111 runs against the Australians in the Boxing DayTest. In December 2005, he scored 223 runs against England at Lahore, also earning him the man of the match award. Seven months later in July 2006, when Pakistan toured England, he scored 202 runs and 48 in the first Test, again earning himself the man of the match award. He followed up with 192 in the third Test at Headingley and 128 in the final Test at The Oval.
Yousuf was named CNN-IBN’s Cricketer of the Year for 2006, ahead of the likes of Australian captain Ricky Ponting, West Indies Brian Lara, Australian spinner Shane Warne, South Africa’s bowling spearhead Makhaya Ntini and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. He was selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in the 2007 edition.[5] Yousuf became the fourth recipient of the ICC 'Test Cricketer of the Year' award for 2007, he scored 944 runs at an average of 94.40 including seven centuries and two fifties in just 10 innings and that was enough to be awarded the honour ahead of English batsman Kevin Pietersen and Australian batsman Ricky Ponting. Yousuf was also named in the 2007 Test team of the Year alongside Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Asif.[6]
A year that started on a promising note, Yousuf carried it forward to break two world records both held earlier by former West Indian batsman Viv Richards. The 32-year-old, Pakistani batsman achieved an unparalleled 1788 runs in just 10 Test matches with the help of twelve centuries which became his second world record. Yousuf is known for his ability to score runs at exceptional rate through his great technique and composed strokeplay. Although capable of hitting the ball hard, Yousuf is quick between the wickets, although he is prone to being run out.[1]
Yousuf is a skillful infielder, with a report prepared by Cricinfo in late 2005 showing that since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the ninth highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman.[7] He is also distinguished by his characteristic celebration after hitting one hundred runs for his country, where he prostrates in thankfulness to Allah in the direction of Mecca. He has observed this act (known as the Sajdah) recently since his conversion to Islam.[8][9]
On 11 August 2007 it was reported by The Dawn that Yousuf may join the Indian Cricket League and by joining the league he wouldn't be able to play many matches for the Pakistan team.[10] However on September 27, he changed his mind and signed a contract with the PCB, but nonetheless he missed the series against South Africa. He has been selected for the India tour in November 2007. In October 2007, Yousuf joined the Indian Premier League just few days after cancelling his contract with Indian Cricket League[11] He was not signed by any IPL franchise as a result of his on-going court case with the ICL.
Yousuf informed the Pakistan Cricket Board that he would not be taking part in the Champions Trophy 2008 because it would coincide with the holy month of Ramadan.[12]
Yousuf re-signed with the Indian Cricket League in November 2008. He was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board on 5 November 2008 for joining the Indian Cricket League.
Yousuf ended his association with the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL) in early May, in the hope of earning a recall for his country. Pakistan recalled Yousuf to the squad for their 2009 Test series in Sri Lanka.[13]
He along with another former Indian Cricket League player Abdul Razzaq were awarded ‘A’ category mid-term central contracts by Pakistan Cricket Board after they left Indian Cricket League.[14] A little over one year after being welcomed back by the PCB, Yousuf was made captain of the Test team for the tour of New Zealand after Younus Khan was allowed to take a break.[15]
The Pakistan Cricket Board, on 10 March 2010, banned Yousuf and former captain, Younis Khan from playing for the national team indefinitely and imposed one-year bans on Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.[2] Despite receiving the ban Yousuf said that the series against South Africa in late 2010 could be a possibility.[16] Pakistan then toured England in July 2010 and after losing the first test by 354 runs due to a weak batting line-up, the second innings total of 80 being the lowest total by Pakistan against England. Yousuf announced his return to International Cricket and was placed on the squad.[17] He then required a visa which was granted but there was a concern that Yousuf couldn't come to England in time for that tour. [18]
Despite the fact that Yousuf isn't a bowler he has the distincation of a 100% wicket rate as he has only bowled one ball in his ODI career against Zimbabwe which was to the last-batsmen in the order during the 2007 cricket World Cup. Fittingly the catch was taken by Inzamam-ul-Haq in his last over as captain of Pakistan.
[edit]Statistics
[edit]Career highlights
- In November 2006, Yousuf achieved the 10th highest ever figure in ICC's test batting rating. His rating of 933 gave him a personal best of 2nd place in the rankings behind Ricky Ponting and was the 3rd highest ranking of any current player as well as the highest for any batsmen from Asia.[19][20][21]
- Yousuf is the third Pakistani batsmen to surpass 6000 runs in test cricket, the others being Javed Miandad andInzamam-ul-Haq.[22]
- He has the second highest Test Match centuries amongst Pakistani batsmen, currently on 24 and only 1 behindInzamam-ul-Haq.[23]
- With his twin hundreds in the Karachi test against West Indies 2006, Mohammad Yousuf became the sixth Pakistani and 30th cricketer in test cricket to hit a century in each innings of a test match.[24]
- He is the third highest run scorer in One-Day Internationals amongst Pakistani batsmen. His average of 44.50 places second out of all Pakistani batsmen, following only Zaheer Abbas (47.62).[25][26]
- His Test average of 54.86 currently puts him in 10th spot for Test batting averages for players with more than 50 appearances.[27]
- He has scored a century at International level against all Test playing nations, and also on the shores of all test nations.[28][29]
The following tables illustrate a summary of the Test and ODI centuries scored by Mohammad Yousuf.[30][31]
- In the column Runs, * indicates being not out.
- The column title Match refers to the Match Number of his career.
[edit]Test match centuries
[edit]One Day International centuries
| ODI Centuries of Mohammad Yousuf | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Runs | Match | Against | City/Country | Venue | Year |
| [1] | 100 | 10 | Australia | Lahore, Pakistan | Gaddafi Stadium | 1998 |
| [2] | 104* | 26 | West Indies | Toronto, Canada | Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club | 1999 |
| [3] | 100* | 59 | India | Dhaka, Bangladesh | Bangabandhu Stadium | 2000 |
| [4] | 112* | 91 | Bangladesh | Dhaka, Bangladesh | Bangabandhu Stadium | 2002 |
| [5] | 129 | 100 | Sri Lanka | Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | Sharjah Stadium | 2002 |
| [6] | 125 | 101 | New Zealand | Karachi, Pakistan | National Stadium | 2002 |
| [7] | 141* | 112 | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | Queens Sports Club | 2002 |
| [8] | 100* | 114 | Zimbabwe | Harare, Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club | 2002 |
| [9] | 106 | 141 | Bangladesh | Faislabad, Pakistan | Iqbal Cricket Stadium | 2003 |
| [10] | 107* | 178 | Sri Lanka | Karachi, Pakistan | National Stadium | 2004 |
| [11] | 105 | 188 | West Indies | Perth, Australia | WACA Ground (The WACA) | 2005 |
| [12] | 101* | 230 | South Africa | Durban, South Africa | Sahara Stadium Kingsmead | 2007 |
| [13] | 117 | 244 | South Africa | Lahore, Pakistan | Gaddafi Stadium | 2007 |
| [14] | 108* | 256 | Zimbabwe | Faisalabad, Pakistan | Iqbal Stadium | 2008 |
| [15] | 108* | 258 | Bangladesh | Lahore, Pakistan | Gaddafi Stadium | 2008 |
[edit]Records
[edit]Test match records in 2006
Statistically, the year 2006 is said to be the year of Australia, Muttiah Muralitharan and Yousuf. Yousuf scored 1788 runs at an average of 99.88 in 2006 and broke two of Viv Richards's world records.[32]
| “ | It's excellent and slightly unbelievable what he has achieved. Twelve hundreds in a year and that many runs is just magnificent. He is a very committed player and an excellent role model, not just for Pakistan but for young cricketers everywhere. | ” |
- On 30 November 2006, during the third innings of the final Test between Pakistan and West Indies at Karachi, he surpassed Viv Richards's thirty year old record and became the highest scorer in Test matches during a single calendar year.[33] He also broke Zaheer Abbas's record for the most runs made by a Pakistani batsman in a three-Test series. Abbas made 583 runs against the visiting Indians in 1978/79.[34]
- Yousuf hit twelve centuries in 2006, which is a world record for most centuries in a calendar year.[32]
- Yousuf also equalled the record held by former Australian batsman Donald Bradman, by scoring six centuries in successive Tests - although it took him only four matches compared with Bradman's six.[35]
- After his 191 at Multan he became the first player in Test history to have been dismissed 3 times in the 190s, with all three innings coming in 2006.[36][37]
[edit]Awards
[edit]Early years
Yousuf hailed from a poor background and was plucked from the obscurity of a tailor's shop in the slums of the eastern city of Lahore to play a local match in the 1990s. His well-crafted shots attracted attention and he rose through the ranks to become one of Pakistan's best batsman.
[edit]Conversion to Islam
Until his conversion to Islam in 2005, Yousuf was the fourth Christian (and fifth Non-Muslim overall) to play for the Pakistan cricket team, following in the footsteps of Wallis Mathias,Antao D'Souza and the Anglo-Pakistani Duncan Sharpe.[1] He also has the distinction of being the first and so far only Non-Muslim to captain the country, leading the team in the 2004-05 tour of Australia where he scored a century in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He had embraced Islam after attending regular preaching sessions of the Tablighi Jamaat, Pakistan's largest non-political religious grouping, whose preachers include Yousuf's former team-mate Saeed Anwar and his brother. His wife Tania converted along with him and adopted the Islamic name Fatima. However the news was kept private for three months due to family reasons, before his announcement of their conversion publicly in September 2005.[39] [1] "I don't want to give Yousuf my name after what he has done," his mother was quoted as saying by the Daily Times newspaper. "We came to know about his decision when he offered Friday Prayers at a local mosque. It was a shock," his mother was reported as saying. However, Yousuf told the BBC that "I cannot tell you what a great feeling it is."[40]As part of his conversion, Yousuf officially changed his name from Yousuf Youhana to Mohammad Yousuf.
Former Pakistan cricketer and sports commentator Rameez Raja, who himself is Muslim, acknowledged the significance of Yousuf's new faith, "Religion has played an integral part in his growth not just as a cricketer but as a person."[33]
[edit]Cricket controversy
[edit]Indian Cricket League
In 2007, after initially signing a contract to join the Indian Cricket League, Yousuf later refused due to pressure from the Pakistan Cricket Board as he would later face a ban by the board. In return the PCB promised to get him into the Indian premier league, however, no team bid for him as he faced litigation from the ICL.[41]
In 2008, he once again threatened to join the ICL after the PCB dropped him from their squad. A PCB official was quoted as saying, "We have banned all our cricketers who joined the ICL and if Yousuf also plays for the unauthorised league then he will have to face the same punishment. Yousuf is still our best Test batsman and has a future with the Pakistan team, but not if he joins the ICL. It will be game over for him if he joined the rebel league."[42] Yousuf decided to join the ICL again to play mid-way though the second season.[43] The Pakistan Cricket Board reacted to the news by banning Mohammad Yousuf from the national team after he rejoined the ICL.[44] Yousaf's chances to return to Pakistani cricket improved on February 2, 2009 when a Pakistani court suspended the ban on ICL players.[45]
Pakistan have recalled batsman Mohammad Yousuf to the squad for their July 2009 Test series in Sri Lanka. Yousuf ended his association with the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL) in early May, in the hope of earning a recall for his country. His decision to join the ICL was made because of differences with former captain Shoaib Malik, who has since been replaced by Younus Khan.[13]. In July 2009, on his first match after returning to Test Cricket since 2007, Yousuf scored a century to announce his return to cricket.
[edit]Retirement and Subsequent return
On 29 March 2010, Yousuf announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket[3], just days after the Pakistan Cricket Board imposed an indefinite ban on him. "I received a letter from the PCB that my staying in the team is harmful for the team, so I announce my retirement from international cricket," he said at a press conference in Karachi.[3] On 27 March, Yousuf said that he had decided to retire from international cricket.[46] "Yes, I have decided to retire as Pakistan player and my decision is not an emotional one", Yousuf told press agency AFP, "It's of no use playing if my playing is harmful to the team".[46] He was handed over an indefinite ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board for his disciplinary problems on Pakistan's tour of Australia 2009-2010.
On 1 August 2010, after Pakistan lost the first Test match against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Yousuf was called back in the squad for the rest of the series
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