Mohammad Yousuf PP SI ( Punjabi, ; formerly Yousuf Youhana, ; born 27 August 1974) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, who played all three formats. Prior to his conversion to Islam, Yousuf was one of the few

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

to play for the

Pakistan national cricket team The Pakistan men's national cricket team represents Pakistan in international cricket. It is controlled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the governing body for cricket in Pakistan, which is a Full Member of the International Cricket Counc ...

. Yousuf scored 1,788 runs in 2006 which is a world record for most runs scored in a year in tests at an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

of almost 100. He was a part of the Pakistan squad which finished as runners-up at the

1999 Cricket World Cup The 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup, also branded as England '99, was the seventh edition of the Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted primarily by England, with selected matches also played in Wales, ...

. Yousuf was banned from playing international cricket for Pakistan by the

Pakistan Cricket Board The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), formerly known as Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP), is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan ...

on 10 March 2010, following an inquiry into the team's defeats during the tour of Australia. An official statement was released by the Pakistan Cricket Board, saying that he would not be selected again because he had created disciplinary problems and infighting within the team. In reaction to the ban, Yousuf announced his retirement from international cricket on 29 March 2010. However, following Pakistan's disastrous first Test against England in July/August 2010, PCB decided to ask Yousuf to come out of retirement.

Early life

Yousuf was born in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Pakistan to a Punjabi Christian family. As a boy, he couldn't afford cricket gear and played street cricket with his brother's taped tennis ball and wooden planks. As a 12-year-old, he was spotted by the Golden Gymkhana, and he subsequently joined Lahore's

Forman Christian College Forman Christian College is a private nonprofit Liberal arts college, liberal arts Universities in Pakistan, university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Church ...

and continued playing until stopping abruptly in early 1994. Yousuf, hailing from a poor background, was plucked from the obscurity of a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

's shop in the slums of the eastern city of

to play a local match in the 1990s. His well-crafted shots attracted attention and he rose through the ranks to become one of Pakistan's best batsmen.

Conversion to Islam

Until his conversion to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

in 2005, Yousuf was the fourth

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

(and fifth non-Muslim overall) to play for the

Pakistan cricket team The Pakistan men's national cricket team represents Pakistan in international cricket. It is controlled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the governing body for cricket in Pakistan, which is a Full Member of the International Cricket Counc ...

, following in the footsteps of

Wallis Mathias Wallis Mathias (4 February 1935 – 1 September 1994) was a Pakistani cricketer who played in 21 Test matches from 1955 to 1962. A Catholic, he was the first non-Muslim cricketer to play for Pakistan. He belonged to Karachi's Goan community. ...

, Antao D'Souza and the Anglo-Pakistani

Duncan Sharpe Duncan Albert Sharpe (born 3 August 1937) is a Pakistani former cricketer who played in three Test cricket, Test matches in 1959–60. Sharpe is of Anglo-Indian heritage, and was the third Christianity in Pakistan, Christian to play Test cricket ...

. He also has the distinction of being the first and so far only non-Muslim to captain the country, leading the team in the 2004–05 tour of Australia where he scored a century in the

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

Test at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...

. He converted to Islam after attending regular preaching sessions of the

Tablighi Jamaat Tablighi Jamaat ( , also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party") is an international Islamic schools and branches, Islamic religious movement. It focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant and encourages f ...

, Pakistan's largest non-political religious grouping, whose preachers include Yousuf's former teammate

Saeed Anwar Saeed Anwar (; born 6 September 1968) is a Pakistani former cricketer and a former captain for Tests and ODIs. An opening batsman and occasional slow left arm orthodox bowler, Anwar played international cricket between 1989 and 2003. Consid ...

and his brother. His wife Tania converted along with him and adopted the Islamic name Fatima. However, the news was kept private for three months due to family reasons as well as his own decision to practice his faith, before his announcement of their conversion publicly in September 2005. "I don't want to give Yousuf my name after what he has done", his mother was quoted as saying by the '' Daily Times'' newspaper. "We came to know about his decision when he offered

Friday prayers Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...

at a local

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

. It was a shock", his mother was reported as saying. However, Yousuf told the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

that "I cannot tell you what a great feeling it is." As part of his conversion, Yousuf officially changed his name from Yousuf Youhana to Mohammad Yousuf. Former Pakistan cricketer, sports commentator & former PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja, who himself is Muslim, acknowledged the significance of Yousuf's new faith: "Religion has played an integral part in his growth not just as a cricketer but as a person."

International career

Early days

He made his Test debut against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

and One Day International debut against

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

. He has scored over 9,000 One Day International runs at an average above 40 and over 7,000 Test runs at an average above 50 (2nd highest batting average amongst all Pakistani batsmen) with 24 Test centuries. He has the record of scoring the most runs without being dismissed in One Day International matches, with a total of 405 runs against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe in 2002–2003. He has also scored a 23-ball fifty and a 68-ball hundred in One Day Internationals. In a Test match, he scored a 27-ball fifty, which is 3rd fastest by any player. He was the top scorer during the successive years of 2002 and 2003 in the world in One Day International match. In 2004, he scored 111 runs against the

Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizenship, citizens, nationality, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Aust ...

in the

Test. In December 2005, he scored 223 runs against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, also earning him the man of the match award. Seven months later in July 2006, when Pakistan toured England, he scored 202 runs and 48 in the first Test, again earning himself the man of the match award. He followed up with 192 in the third Test at

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...

and 128 in the final Test at

The Oval The Oval, currently named for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club sinc ...

Rise in ranks

Yousuf was named

CNN-IBN CNN News18 is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides international coverage for the c ...

's Cricketer of the Year for 2006, ahead of the likes of Australian captain

Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting (born 19 December 1974) is an Australian cricket coach, commentator, and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time and is the most successful captain in international cricket history, ...

, West Indies

Brian Lara Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely renowned as one of the greatest Batting (cricket), batsmen of all time. He holds several cricketing records, including the record for the highest in ...

, Australian spinner

Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer whose career ran from 1992 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batter for Victoria, Hampshire ...

, South Africa's bowling spearhead

Makhaya Ntini Makhaya Ntini (born 6 July 1977) is a South African former professional cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He was the first Black people, black player to play for the South African national cricket team. Ntini was a member of the So ...

and Sri Lanka's

Muttiah Muralitharan Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan (born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, businessman and former professional cricketer. Averaging over six wickets per Test match, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the ...

. He was selected as a

Wisden Cricketer of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based "primarily for their influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...

in the 2007 edition. Yousuf became the fourth recipient of the ICC 'Test Cricketer of the Year' award for 2007, he scored 944 runs at an average of 94.40 including seven centuries and two fifties in just 10 innings and that was enough to be awarded the honour ahead of English batsman

Kevin Pietersen Kevin Peter Pietersen (born 27 June 1980) is a former England international cricketer. He is regarded as one of the greatest England batsmen to have played the game, and renowned for his competitive, and often controversial nature. He was a ri ...

and Australian batsman

. A year that started on a promising note, Yousuf carried it forward to break two world records, both held earlier by former West Indian batsman

Viv Richards Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards (born 7 March 1952) is a retired Antiguan cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991. Usually batting at number three in a dominant West Indies side, Richards is widely ...

. The 32-year-old Pakistani batsman achieved an unparalleled 1788 runs in just 10 Test matches with the help of twelve centuries which became his second world record. Yousuf was known for his ability to score runs at exceptional rate through his great technique and composed strokeplay. Although capable of hitting the ball hard, Yousuf was quick between the wickets, although he was prone to being run out.

Golden 2006

Statistically, the year 2006 is said to be the year of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and Yousuf. Yousuf scored 1788 runs at an average of 99.33 in 2006 and broke two of

's world records. On 30 November 2006, during the third innings of the final Test between Pakistan and West Indies at Karachi, he surpassed Viv Richards's thirty-year-old record and became the highest scorer in Test matches during a single calendar year. He also broke

Zaheer Abbas Syed Zaheer Abbas Kirmani PP, (in Punjabi and Urdu: سید ظہیر عباس کرمانی; born 24 July 1947), popularly known as Zaheer Abbas, is a Pakistani former cricketer. He is among the few professional cricketers who used to wear spect ...

's record for the most runs made by a Pakistani batsman in a three-Test series. Abbas made 583 runs against the visiting Indians in 1978/79. Yousuf hit nine test centuries in 2006, which is a world record for most centuries in a calendar year. Yousuf also equaled the record held by former Australian batsman

Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. His cricketing successes have been claimed by Shane ...

, by scoring six centuries in successive Tests – although it took him only four matches compared with Bradman's six. After his 191 at Multan he became the first player in Test history to have been dismissed 3 times in the 190s, with all three innings coming in 2006. For his performances in 2006 and 2007, he was named in the ICC Test Team of the Year. For his performances in 2006, he was named in the World Test XI by ESPNcricinfo. Yousuf is a skilful infielder, with a report prepared by ESPNcricinfo in late 2005 showing that since the

, he had effected the seventh highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman. He is also distinguished by his characteristic celebration after hitting one hundred runs for his country, where he prostrates in thankfulness to

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

in the direction of

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. He has observed this act (known as the

Sajdah Sujūd (, ), or sajdah (, ), also known as sijda, sejda or shejda, in Islam is the act of low bowing or prostration to God facing the ''qiblah'' (direction of the Kaaba at Mecca). It is usually done in standardized prayers (salah). The positio ...

) since his conversion to Islam.

Retirement and subsequent return

On 29 March 2010, Yousuf announced his retirement from international cricket, two days after the

imposed an indefinite ban on him. "I received a letter from the PCB that my staying in the team is harmful for the team, so I announce my retirement from international cricket", he said at a press conference in Karachi. On 27 March, Yousuf said that he had decided to retire from international cricket. "Yes, I have decided to retire as Pakistan player and my decision is not an emotional one", Yousuf told press agency AFP, "It's of no use playing if my playing is harmful to the team". He was placed under an indefinite ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board for his disciplinary problems on Pakistan's tour of Australia 2009–2010. On 1 August 2010, after Pakistan lost the first Test match against England at

Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test cricket, Test, One-day cricket, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nott ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

, Yousuf was called back in the squad for the rest of the series. He decided not to play the second Test because of tiredness and jet lag. Shortly after the completion of the second test, Pakistani captain

Salman Butt Salman Butt ( Punjabi:سلمان بٹ; born 7 October 1984) is a former Pakistani cricketer and captain who played for Pakistan national cricket team between 2003 and 2010, before getting banned for five years for his involvement in a 2010 spo ...

announced that he expected Yousuf to return for the third test. The selectors decided to play Yousuf in a tour match against Worcestershire just before the third Test so that his form and fitness could be checked. Yousuf's form check was positive, because on a day inflicted by rain he managed to score 40*. Yousuf then scored 56 against England in the third Test before being caught and bowled by

Graeme Swann Graeme Peter Swann (born 24 March 1979) is an English former cricketer who played all three formats of the game. Born in Northampton, he attended Sponne School in Towcester, Northamptonshire. He was primarily a right-arm off-spinner, and also ...

; in the process Yousuf became Swann's 100th casualty in Test cricket;the day saw a much improved performance by Pakistan as they were eventually bowled out for 308. In the same tour of England that summer, he participated in the

Twenty20 Twenty20 (abbreviated T20) is a shortened format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the county cricket, inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two t ...

series as well. Despite being considered an "old boys cricketer" and having participated in only a sole T20I in 2006 and considered one who does not slog as often (notable by the low number of sixes he has scored), Yousuf participated and scored 26 off 21 deliveries. His return continued well when he scored 46 in the second ODI against England. He consistently scored during the five-match England series as Pakistan lost 3–2. Yousuf was subsequently called up to play for Pakistan in all three formats against South Africa in October 2010; however he was not selected for any of the matches.

Batting Coach of Pakistan Cricket Team

On 4 March 2025, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officially appointed former captain Mohammad Yousuf as the batting coach of the Pakistan men's national team, replacing Shahid Aslam. In June 2025, Mohammad Yousuf officially resigned from his roles as Pakistan’s batting coach and senior coach at the National Cricket Academy, tendering his resignation to the PCB on 13 June 2025, citing personal and family reasons.

Coaching Career

In June 2025, Mohammad Yousuf resigned from his position as the batting coach at the

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

National Cricket Academy The National Cricket Academy (NCA) is a cricket facility of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Bengaluru, India, for the purpose of developing young cricketers who have been identified as having the potential to represent the I ...

(NCA) in Lahore. Although the

(PCB) had not officially announced the development at the time, Yousuf confirmed that his resignation had been accepted. Describing it as a personal decision, he declined to elaborate further. Yousuf had been associated with the NCA for several years, serving as a batting coach not only for the academy but also intermittently with the

senior team and the Under-19 squad.

Controversy

In 2007, after initially signing a contract to join the

Indian Cricket League The Indian Cricket League (ICL) was a short-lived cricket league that ran from 2007 to 2009. It was sponsored by Zee Entertainment Enterprises, a media company. The ICL had two seasons, featuring four international teams and nine domestic teams ...

, Yousuf refused due to pressure from the

as he would later face a ban by the board. In return the PCB promised to get him into the

Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Founded in 2007, it features ten city-based Professional sports league organization, fr ...

; however, no team bid for him as he faced litigation from the ICL. In 2008, he once again threatened to join the ICL after the PCB dropped him from their squad. A PCB official was quoted as saying, "We have banned all our cricketers who joined the ICL and if Yousuf also plays for the unauthorised league then he will have to face the same punishment. Yousuf is still our best Test batsman and has a future with the Pakistan team, but not if he joins the ICL." Yousuf decided to join the ICL again to play mid-way through the second season. The Pakistan Cricket Board reacted to the news by banning him from the national team. Yousaf's chances of returning to Pakistani cricket improved on 2 February 2009 when a Pakistani court suspended the ban on ICL players. Pakistan Cricket Board recalled batsman Mohammad Yousuf to the squad for their July 2009 Test series in Sri Lanka. Yousuf ended his association with the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL) in early May, in the hope of earning a recall for his country. His decision to join the ICL was made because of differences with former captain Shoaib Malik, who had since been replaced by Younus Khan. In July 2009, on his first match after returning to Test Cricket since 2007, Yousuf scored a century to announce his return to cricket. Yousuf informed the Pakistan Cricket Board that he would not be taking part in the Champions Trophy 2008 because it would coincide with the holy month of Ramadan. He along with another former Indian Cricket League player Abdul Razzaq were awarded 'A' category mid-term central contracts by

after they left

. A little over one year after being welcomed back by the PCB, Yousuf was made captain of the Test team for the tour of New Zealand after Younus Khan was allowed to take a break. The Pakistan Cricket Board, on 10 March 2010, banned Yousuf and former captain,

Younis Khan Mohammad Younis Khan PP SI (Urdu: ; Pashto: ; born 29 November 1977) is a Pakistani professional cricket coach and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all three formats of the game, and is widely regarded as o ...

from playing for the national team indefinitely and imposed one-year bans on

Shoaib Malik Shoaib Malik ( Punjabi, (; born 1 February 1982) is a Pakistani cricketer who played for the Pakistan national cricket team and currently plays for Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He was the captain of the Pakistan nati ...

and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. Despite receiving the ban Yousuf said that the series against South Africa in late 2010 could be a possibility. Pakistan then toured England in July 2010 and after losing the first test by 354 runs due to a weak batting line-up, the second innings total of 80 being the lowest total by Pakistan against England. Yousuf announced his return to International Cricket and was placed on the squad. He then required a visa which was granted but there was a concern that Yousuf could not come to England in time for that tour. Yousuf captained his domestic team, the

Lahore Lions Lahore Lions (, Punjabi: لہور لائنز abbreviated as LIO) was a Pakistani franchise cricket team representing the city of Lahore and was one of the 19 domestic teams. The team was established by Lahore Regional Cricket Association in 2 ...

, to victory in the

2010–11 Faysal Bank Twenty-20 Cup 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

; the team defeated the

Karachi Dolphins The Karachi Dolphins were a limited overs cricket team based in Karachi which played in National One-day Championship and domestic Twenty20. The Dolphins' home ground was National Stadium in Karachi's north end. The Dolphins were considered one ...

in the final. That was also the first time in five years that the trophy had gone to someone besides the

Sialkot Stallions The Sialkot Stallions (Punjabi: سیالکوٹ سٹالینز) was a National T20 Cup team, based in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The team was established in 2004 and its home ground was Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot, Jinnah Stadium in ...

. Yousuf was given the award of fielder of the series. He did however injure his hamstring in training for the series against South Africa in October 2010. Chief Selector Mohsin Khan elected to withdraw Yousuf from the ODI and T20I squads but said that he should be ready to play in the Test match series. Yousuf's replacement in the limited-overs squad was

, who had successfully reconciled with the Pakistan Cricket Board. He managed to regain his fitness and participated in the two-match Test series against South Africa. Also, he managed to regain his fitness quickly enough to participate in the final ODI of the five-match series. Yousuf wore a shirt which had his name written on in ink, which was against regulations. The match-referee called him and Yousuf stated that because he came for the test series he did not bring coloured clothing because he did not think that he would play. Subsequently, the ICC cleared him of any wrongdoing. Minutes before the toss in the first Test match, Yousuf picked up a groin injury. The injury took two weeks to heal and subsequently Yousuf missed the two-match Test series. Amid his recent spate of injuries, former Pakistan captain

Moin Khan Muhammad Moin Khan (; born 23 September 1971) is a Pakistani cricket administrator, coach, and former cricketer, primarily a wicket-keeper-batsman, who remained a member of the Pakistani national cricket team from 1990 to 2004. He was a part of ...

suggested that Yousuf should retire from ODIs and T20s and focus on Tests only due to age and consistent injuries. In January 2012 it was announced that Yousuf was holding talks with

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

over becoming their overseas player for 2012. Talks broke down over Yousuf wanting to take time off for

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. Yousaf received the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

award in August 2012.

Records

* Yousuf was the third Pakistani batsmen to surpass 6,000 runs in Test cricket, following

Javed Miandad Mohammad Javed Miandad PP SI (; born 12 June 1957), popularly known as Javed Miandad (; ), is a Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer known for his unconventional style of captaincy and batting. ESPNcricinfo described him ...

and

Inzamam-ul-Haq Syed Inzamam-ul-Haq Sitara-e-Imtiaz, SI (; born 3 March 1970), also known as Inzi, is a former Pakistan cricketer and captain of Pakistan national cricket team. He is regarded as one of the greatest players Pakistan has produced and one of the ...

. * His 24 Test Match centuries is the third most for Pakistan, behind

and Younus Khan. * With his twin hundreds in the

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

test against

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

2006, Mohammad Yousuf became the sixth Pakistani and 30th cricketer in Test cricket to hit a century in each innings of a Test match. * He is the third highest run scorer in

One-Day International One Day International (ODI) is a format of cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with the game lasting up to 7 hours. The World Cup, generally held every four yea ...

s amongst Pakistani batsmen. His average of 44.50 places second out of all Pakistani batsmen, following only

(47.62). * His Test average of 54.86 currently puts him in 10th spot for Test batting averages for players with more than 50 appearances. * He has scored a century at International level against all Test playing nations, and also on the shores of all test nations.Mohammad Yousuf – Tests – Innings by innings list
. '' ESPNcricinfo.com.'' Retrieved 14 March 2022.Mohammad Yousuf – ODIs – Innings by innings list
. '' ESPNcricinfo.com.'' Retrieved 14 March 2022. * He was the third player in ODI history and first from Pakistan to score an ODI hundred in his 100th ODI. * He is the current holder of the record for the highest number of runs scored in test cricket in a single calendar year. His total of 1799 runs was achieved in 2006 from 11 Test matches from 19 innings with one not out score.

International centuries

Mohammad Yousuf scored 24 Test centuries and 15 ODI centuries.

Awards

Yousuf won the Test Player of the Year at the

ICC Awards The ICC Awards is an International cricket award presented annually by the sport's governing body, ICC. The first awarding ceremony was held on 7 September 2004 in London, England. Between 2009 and 2014 the awards were known as the LG ICC Aw ...

in 2007. * In 2011, he was decorated by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

with the

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially me ...

, the third highest honor bestowed by Pakistan.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yousuf, Mohammad Pakistan One Day International cricketers Pakistan Test cricketers Pakistan Twenty20 International cricketers 21st-century Pakistani sportsmen ACC Asian XI One Day International cricketers Cricketers at the 1999 Cricket World Cup Cricketers at the 2003 Cricket World Cup Cricketers at the 2007 Cricket World Cup Lahore cricketers Lancashire cricketers Bahawalpur cricketers Water and Power Development Authority cricketers Lahore City cricketers Lahore City Blues cricketers Pakistan International Airlines cricketers Punjab (Pakistan) cricketers Islamabad Leopards cricketers Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited cricketers Warwickshire cricketers Pakistani expatriate cricketers in England Pakistani cricketers Pakistani Sunni Muslims Converts to Sunni Islam from Roman Catholicism 1974 births Living people Pakistan Test cricket captains Pakistani cricket captains Wisden Cricketers of the Year Forman Christian College alumni Pakistani former Christians Recipients of the Pride of Performance Cricketers from Lahore ICL Pakistan XI cricketers Lahore Badshahs cricketers Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Pakistani Muslim missionaries Pakistani cricket coaches