Mohammad Yousuf Biography
source link(google.com)Until his conversion to Islam in 2005, Mohammad Yousuf (formely known as Yousuf Youhana) was one of a handful of Christians to play for Pakistan. After a difficult debut against South Africa in 1997-98, he quickly established himself as a stylish world-class batsman, and a pillar of Pakistan's middle order, alongside Inzamam-ul-Haq. He is no sluggard, but gathers his runs through orthodox, composed strokeplay, unlike some of his colleagues who seldom hint at permanence. He is particularly strong driving through the covers and flicking wristily off his legs and brings with him as decadent and delicious a backlift as any in the game. A tendency to overbalance when playing across his front leg can get him into trouble. He excels at both versions of the game, and in one-day cricket can score 20 or 30 runs before anyone notices. He is quick between the wickets although not necessarily the best judge of a single. There had been questions about his temperament as batsman when the pressure is on, but between 2004 and 2005, he began to silence critics. First came a spellbindingly languid century against the Australians in Melbourne, as captain to boot, where he ripped into Shane Warne like few Pakistani batsmen have before or since. A century in the cauldron of Kolkata followed but he ended the year with possibly his most important knock: a double century against England at Lahore so easy on the eye, you almost didn't notice it. With Inzamam missing through injury for parts of the innings, Yousuf displayed an unusual responsibility, eschewing the waftiness that has previously blighted him. In 2006, Yousuf truly came of age in a record-breaking year. He began by plundering India and continued in England, not just scoring under pressure, but scoring big. A double ton at Lord's was followed by another big hundred at Headingly and the Oval. He rounded off a fantastic year with four hundreds in three Tests against the West Indies, a feat that took him past Viv Richards's long-standing record of most Test runs in a calendar year and also saw him establish the record for most Test hundreds (9) in a year. With Inzamam nearing a natural end, the credentials of Yousuf as Pakistan's premier batsman are impressive.
Yousuf was named CNN-IBNs Cricketer
of the Year for 2006, ahead of the likes of Australian captain Ricky Ponting,
West Indies Brian Lara, Australian spinner Shane Warne, South Africas bowling
spearhead Makhaya Ntini and Sri Lankas Muttiah Muralitharan. He was selected as
a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in the 2007 edition. 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 five centuries and two fifties in just 10
innings and that was enough to be awarded the honour ahead of Kevin Pietersen
and Ricky Ponting. Yousuf was also named in the 2007 Test team of the Year
alongside compatriot Mohammad Asif. A year that started on a promising note,
Yousuf carried it forward to break two world records both held earlier by West
Indian great Sir Vivian Richards. The 32-year-old smashed an unparalleled 1788
runs in just 11 Test matches with the help of nine centuries his second record taking him beyond the Windies great yet again.
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. Yousuf is a skillful infielder, with a report prepared 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. 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.
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yousuf
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