PCB likely to rope in Mohammad Yousuf as batting coach of Pakistan

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is all set to appoint Mohammad Yousuf as the permanent batting coach for the national team, according to reports coming out of the Pakistani camp. The news comes in after Yousuf’s release from the batting coach role at the National High-Performance Centre (NHPC) in Lahore.

The former Pakistani cricketer who served the nation for over a decade on the international stage will now take up the coaching role in the dressing room. Yousuf was one of the most prolific batters across Tests and ODIS and amassed over 17000 runs in 350+ appearances. He also holds the record for most runs by a batter in red-ball cricket in a calendar year, scoring a whopping 1788 runs in 2006 for the Men in Green.

PCB’s decision to appoint the legendary batter as the permanent batting coach comes in following his departure from the coaching role at the NHPC. The advertisement for the vacated post will be released soon. Yousuf will work alongside Aussie batting great Matthew Hayden, who was appointed as the batting consultant for the Pakistani team ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2021 and will continue in his role with the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

Abdullah played well in tough and pressure situations: Mohammad Yousuf

The former middle-order batter had earlier expressed his opinion on new batting star Abdullah Shafique, who single-handedly dragged Pakistan to a momentous win in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on the 20th of July, Wednesday. The batting great praised the youngster’s ability to absorb pressure in tough situations and was impressed with his temperament after just a handful of appearances for the national team.

“Abdullah does not have much experience, is a new boy, but he showed temperament and played well in tough and pressure situations,” Yousuf was quoted as saying by GeoSuper according to Cricwick.

Shafique has currently got 720 runs under his belt after just six games, the fourth highest by any batter after playing six Tests.