Mohammad Yousuf gets Pakistan recall for England Tests
Pakistan have reacted to their 354-run defeat by England in their Test at Trent Bridge by calling on former captain Mohammad Yousuf to bolster their squad.
Yousuf, who announced his retirement from international cricket in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746.
While there’s no suggestion the 35-year-old will take over the captaincy from current leader Salman Butt, Yousuf’s inclusion in the squad is a clear acknowledgement that the visitors are in need of adding some experience to their batting ranks after their dismissals for 182 in the first innings (a wagging tail can take much credit for that) and just 80 in the second in the first of the four-match series.
Yousuf adds the experience of 88 Tests and 24 Test centuries to the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 side and his inclusion as a batsman certainly has the potential to shore up what has been a very green batting card so far during their tour of England, with Azhar Ali and Umar Amin each playing only their third career Test match in Nottingham.
It’s a perhaps predictable about turn from the PCB too, despite Butt and coach Waqar Younis’ previous denials that either Yousuf or another former captain in Younus http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319 would be tapped on the shoulder for the current series.
While it’s one thing to persevere with a light batting line-up when your pacemen are ripping through the Australian batting card, as they did with aplomb on the way to a three-wicket victory over Ricky Ponting’s side at Headingley, it’s another to ignore an obvious solution to the problem after the side was dismissed for their lowest Test total against England, and with three matches remaining in the series.
And as Pakistan look to improve after a wretched start to the series, they have also added 18-year-old spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Danish-Kaneria-c1314, who took one wicket and conceded 171 runs at Trent Bridge.
Kaneria is now free to rejoin English county club http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Essex-c783, and could be available for their Friends Provident t20 semi-final, and potential final on August 14th, provided he’s not recalled to the Test squad for the series against England.
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