Guest Post by Syed Ahsan Ali
Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan premier batsman and
Abdur Razzaq, all-rounder with destructive hitting abilities, few months back look all set to be the regular features of Pakistan cricket for another three to four years, but change is the only thing constant in life.
T20 version of the game changed that certainty of few months back into the biggest dilemma for selectors regarding mid-August announcement of final squad for the inaugural
T20 World Cup in
South Africa. Arguments of poor fielding agility across the park, against these two cornerstones of Pakistan’s 50 over cricket, are put forward by several veteran cricketers and think tanks in Pakistan cricket board.
Another opinion that is becoming quite strong in opposition to this anticipated omissions of these explosive cricketers from the list of 15 that
Yousuf, and
Razzaq can add a lot to this rapid-paced cricket for Pakistan through plethora of experience and temperament at their disposal which they have shown over the span of years. Shortest version of the game definitely demands few sprints and dives to save some very precious runs, but making few quick runs with bellicosity under pressure-cooker situations can only be achieved when you have players of
Yousuf, and
Razzaq’s caliber who have years of daylights on their backs to bolster Pakistan to finishing line. Look at their careers can help in solving this riddle.
Abdur Razzaq
Experience of
231 matches.
4465 runs with the strike rate of
79.96 and an average of
29.96 with an added value of
103 sixes.
246 Wickets with an economy rate of
4.69.
Mohammad Yousuf
Experience of
242 matches.
8081 runs with the strike rate of
74.41 and an average of
41.02 (best average in current Pakistani set of available players even better than great
Inzamam-ul-Haq) with
12 hundreds and
54 fifties.
About the Author: Syed Ahsan Ali holds a masters degree in Economics and is a writer by profession. He occasionally writes for the daily News and the daily Dawn also
Even in a 20 over match an imminent collapse is still on the books especially for a unpredictable team like Pakistan. We need Mohammad Yousuf for such rainy days and lets not forget he can do some serious hitting as well! :)
The new ICL is something not sanctioned by the ICC, and PCB has said it all along that whoever signs a contract with ICL would seriously jeopardize their Test and ODI playing careers with the National Team. I would imagine the cricketers who sign up for ICL are local (Indian) youngsters and among international stars, someone who is way past his prime (35+)and is looking to secure their future with a lucrative contract. Yousuf and Razzaq still have a lot of cricket left in them. Razzaq’s ommision is a big surprise to me at least, I thought he is ideal for 20/20.
i would like to say only one thing i.e. if you left out the likes of Yousuf and Razzak especially Yousuf pakistani cricket will suffer a lot and get the consequences. I’m sure if they do that Ypusuf and Razzaq will join ICL (Indian Cricket League) because that’s better for them. hope not doing so.
IMO,T20 format is not different than our traditional street cricket where only “Laparoo” batsmen[hitter] could survive. Just like street cricket is not helpful to improve your technique,T20 also can’t be taken seriously. It was just introduced to earn more $$
Dear mmm. Yousuf to bachay ga magar khelnay ko overs nahiN bacheNge :) But i got your point. thanks for the comment.