Mohammad Yousuf Biography
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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
Kolkatta 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.
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