Hurt by the indefinite ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board, former captain Mohammad Yousuf today decided to retire from international cricket and said he would make an announcement on Monday.
“Yes, I have decided to retire from international cricket but I will make an official announcement on Monday,” he said.
The senior batsman, who led the national team in the disastrous Australian and New Zealand tours in February—March, said he felt insulted by the way the board had imposed the ban and accusations made against him.
“I have got a lot from Pakistan and I have also always given 100 percent for Pakistan cricket. I feel disheartened and disappointed at the way the ban was imposed and with recent happenings,” Yousuf said.
If Yousuf quits international cricket on Monday it would not be the first time he would have done this as he had also announced his retirement in 2007 when he joined the rebel Indian Cricket League.
But he returned after a few months to play for Pakistan on the insistence of the former PCB Chairman Nasim Ashraf who also paid Yousuf a loyalty bonus of around USD 100,000 for ending his ICL contract.
The 35—year old remains Pakistan’s most successful batsman in the last decade and in 2006 he set a record for most runs in a calendar year when in 11 Tests he scored 1788 runs with nine hundreds, breaking Viv Richards’ 30—year—old record and going on to win the ICC batsman of the year award.
Yousuf, who has played 88 Tests and 282 ODIs, said he would speak in detail about his decision on Monday.
Sources said Yousuf was upset after the PCB imposed the indefinite ban on him and another former captain Younus Khan on the recommendations of an inquiry committee that looked into the team’s poor performances in Australia and into reports of infighting in the team.
The inquiry committee in its report had said that Yousuf and Younus had differences and this had a trickle down effect on the team which performed poorly.
“I don’t want to say anything more on this stage except that this ban is unfair and I have served my country diligently,” Yousuf said.
