The Magical Beards: Mohammad Yousuf and Hashim Amla – Opinion
Batting standards have improved in the modern-day sport due to the presence of a number of extra-ordinary players who have relished Test cricket as well as the shorter formats of the game. The list includes some of the greats of the
game like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RT-Ponting-c2377, the Waugh brothers and many more.
However, when it comes to shear elegance and class, Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/HM-Amla-c1557 are right up there with the best. Ironically, both of them possess many similarities, the biggest of them being their identical
beards, apart from lovely cover drives and wristy stroke-play.
Yousuf, the former Pakistan captain, has been a wonderful servant of the Green Shirts over the years, especially in the longer version of the sport, averaging 52.29 in 90 encounters, with the help of 24 hundreds and 33 half-centuries.
Somehow, the middle-order batsman, who converted to Islam from Christianity in 2005 and grew his beard (an Islamic ritual), seemed to be a polished cricketer since then. After becoming http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Yousuf-c77465 from Yousuf Youhana, the stylish batsman averaged 60.33
runs per innings at the ultimate level of the game - almost 15 more runs per knock than what he had achieved previously.
In 2006, the Lahore-born cricketer broke the world record of the most number of runs as well as maximum centuries in a calendar year, having smashed 1788 runs in 11 Tests at an astonishing average of 99.33 runs per innings, with the help of nine hundreds.
The 37-year-old batsman played his last Test in 2010 during the controversial tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013, losing out on selectors’ confidence afterwards due to fitness issues. Yousuf however, has not given up on his hopes of completing 100 Tests,
striving to perform well in the domestic cricket to strengthen his case for national selection once again.
"The desire to play for Pakistan has never receded. This time around I will be playing domestic cricket,” Yousuf expressed last month. “My plans are to feature in all of the tournaments in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755, the Qaid-e-Azam Trophy, the National One-Day Cup and any
Twenty20 tournaments that are organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board."
It remains to be seen whether the great cricketer from Pakistan is able to bounce back at the world stage, but cricket fans have another elegant batsman to look up to in Yousuf’s absence - Hashim Amla, the 29-year-old cricketer from
South Africa, who is fast emerging as one of the modern-day greats.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hamisi-Abdallah-c61368 was slow to perform in his international career initially, averaging merely 25.50 runs per innings in his first 15 Tests, which is not acceptable at the global arena. However, the Proteas selectors must be given credit for the
confidence they have shown in the stylish batsman, which paid off afterwards.
Over the years, the right-handed batsman has proved his worth in all formats of the game. The cricketer from Natal is presently the world’s number one ranked batsman in ODIs and placed at number three in the longer version of the
sport.
In the recently concluded Oval Test, the silky stroke-maker scored a triple century without getting dismissed, changing the history of South African cricket.
With averages in access of 50 runs per innings in Tests as well as in the 50-overs format, Amla is one of the finest players on the globe presently. At 29, Amla, who is also a practicing Muslim and follows the religious rituals, can
still play international cricket for almost 10 more years.
Disclaimer: Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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