Mohammad Yousuf desires to shepherd young talents at grass-root level

Former right-handed batsman for Pakistan, Mohammad Yousuf recently expressed his desire to nurture cricketing aspirants from the country at the grass-root level. The upcoming World XI tour would embark the return of cricket to Pakistan and Yousuf feels now is the ideal time to hone the budding talents for the future of the game. The 43-year old former cricketer spoke about his intentions of coaching youngsters also lauded effort of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in bringing back cricket to the nation.

As a prolific batsman in his hay day, Yousuf had scored 9720 runs in 288 ODIs and 7530 runs in 99 Test matches. On his part, he feels indebted to his nation for having provided him with international recognition and is eager to help the national team in whichever way possible. He further expressed his confidence in the ICC World XI tour paving way for international cricket to Pakistan.

Mohammad Yousuf speaks about helping at the grass-root level

“We have seen in the past that a lot of the promising players who perform in various age categories or at domestic tournaments, don’t perform that well when they are selected for the national cricket team. It’s because they aren’t taught the technicalities of the game at the highest level,” claimed Mohammad Yousuf while speaking about how many young talented players lose their way and are unable to make the cut for the national team.

“Pakistan has given me a lot of international fame, and now it is my time to give back to my country. I have informed the authorities about my wish to work for Pakistan cricket at the grassroots level but I am ready to accept whatever role is assigned to me by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). My services are also available for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and its teams. It is the beginning of the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan and it is going to be a very important event after a long gap of almost nine years. Once international cricket is revived, we will need good quality players for the national team.” quoted Yousuf according to Express Tribune.

Yousuf lauds the PCB for its efforts

Praising his nation’s cricketing board for having made way for cricketing action to resume in Pakistan, Yousuf commented, “The PCB stood firm on its stance of having cricket in Pakistan and it pleaded the country’s case at all the international forums in a very professional manner. The ICC also supported its stance and finally decided to send a World XI to Pakistan.”

“When I was young, I learned a lot of cricket by watching international players playing in Pakistan on different occasions. It was a great way to learn which eventually helped me become a quality cricketer,” he said. “Now this World XI series has given hope to young players and I am sure that in the coming years many quality cricketers will be produced,” concluded the 43-year old.