Yousuf

Karachi: All the trouble in the Pakistan cricket team is just because of one player, senior batsman Mohammed Yousuf has alleged.

Yousuf, who led Pakistan in the disappointing Australian tour, said one single player was responsible for disturbing the unity in the team.

Yousuf even claimed that the team management also agreed with his viewpoint though he refused to reveal the name of the player in public.

“There is no doubt that there is only one player in the team who is disturbing team unity and other players. I spoke to coach Intikhab Alam and others about it and they agreed.

“I will only disclose his name to the chairman of the Board, Ijaz Butt,” Yousuf told a TV channel.

Pakistan lost both the Test and one-day series and then the lone Twenty20 International against Australia.

Although Yousuf didn’t take any name, well placed sources said he was referring to former captain Shoaib Malik against whom some other players have also complained.

Ironically, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named Malik as captain for the two T20 Internationals against England in Dubai this month due to a two-match ban on regular T20 captain Shahid Afridi.

Yousuf said he faced problems handling the team during the one-day series, especially after media reports from Pakistan claimed that the PCB would appoint a new captain after the series.

Yousuf, 35, also made it clear that there were some players in the team who were not interested in playing Test cricket and that was affecting performance of the team.

Yousuf also conceded that he was not a natural leader.

“You find a natural leader in thousands. I don’t have natural leadership qualities in me but I have tried hard to do a good job of the responsibility given to me,” said Yousuf. (PTI)