By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan’s prolific Test scorer Mohammad Yousuf has accused the selectors of leaving him out of the national team for a Twenty20 tournament in Canada because of “personal dislike” and not on the basis of his form.
A miffed Yousuf, whom the selectors reckon a misfit in the shorter form of the game, said he was as good a player in the Twenty20 format as in Test cricket.
“I personally believe that I have a lot to offer to Pakistan even in Twenty20 cricket. But unfortunately they (selectors) think otherwise. I think it’s more because of personal likes and dislikes that they want me out,” Yousuf said in an interview Friday.
“The Indian Premier League (IPL) has proved that Twenty20 is not all about big hitting. You also need reliable batsmen who can stay out there and build an innings. Twenty20 needs batsmen like me,” he maintained.
Yousuf said the selectors were biased towards him and questioned their reason of “unimpressive fielding skills” to keep him out of the side.
“I don’t believe I am not part of the Twenty20 team just because of my fielding skills. Tell me, how many Jonty Rhodes are there in the Pakistani team?” he wondered.
Yousuf went on the extent of saying that he is ready to quit the game if three of Pakistan’s greatest cricketers – Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq – agreed with the national selectors’ judgment that he is not good enough for the Twenty20 format.
“If great cricketers like Wasim, Waqar and Inzamam agree I’m not good enough to play Twenty20, then I will accept my fate and in fact quit all forms of international cricket,” said the Lahore-based batsman.
Yousuf, who was recently nominated for International Cricket Council one-day player of the year award, was left seething when he was overlooked for last year’s inaugural World Twenty20 championship in South Africa. At that time, he tried to join the breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL) but was persuaded by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to stay away from it.
Pakistan is set to name its 15-man squad for a four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Canada Oct 10-13. Yousuf is unlikely to make the cut for the tournament that will also feature Sri Lanka, the West Indies and hosts Canada.