Yousuf : Mentally ready for the Sri Lanka Series?

[Saj]

I just wonder what he is like mentally at the moment, given that over the last 12 months he’s seen more legal writs than a Los Angeles lawyer. Also the standard of cricket he has played of late has been of a very low standard.

As well as the mental aspects I just wonder how physically fit he is?

Some real concerns for Yousuf at the moment.

[hasanb]

I absolutely agree...i think both mentally and physically as well as form wise he will be off the boil for sure. However having said that there is no other way to get him back up to form than playing more and more cricket...so even his first few innings may seem iffy...i think he'll get back in the groove fairly shortly.

[Ali888]

He has failed in his last ten innings in Pakistan domestic List A in March of this year and last year for Pakistan in Asia Cup.

He may not be exposed in this series but i would have serious doubts about taking him to Oz.

he seems more interested in tableeghi commitments?

[pakcricketfan]

I agree..It is a big concern for us as well as YK and Moyo himself..that how physically and mentally fit is he..We'll find out soon.Lets hope for the best.

[fahimszd]

I think he is a great player, and we will all see INSHALLAH that he will get a lot of runs in the series.

[Savak]

Compared to Akhtar's trauma's and controversies, Yousaf is just fine, just needs to get some match practice.

[Amjid Javed]

Moyo is a class player and just needs time in the middle and he will come good. Its just good to have him back and i think he will be mentally right for this series.

[siccric]

He averages over 50 in test cricket- one of our few players who do, so dropping him for the australia series should be out of the question. We should give him the first game and if he can't score, give him some time in domestic matches and he'll be fine hopefully

[Sufian84]

pakistan team has a psychologist with them so it shouldnt be a consern.

[Zaz]

Lets c but i am concerned bout his form and fitness

[KooLMAN]

I think its just matter of few overs ,he is class player he just need few overs in the middle to get that feeling back of internation cricket and playing for ur country and team,,,,
so InshAllha he will do better

[dblock]

Well let's just say I'm not expecting double hundreds from him.

Once again a lot of pressure on Younis Khan.

[asif9138]

guys tableeghi commitments has nothing to do with his cricket!!
second it does not matter if he has failed in his last 10 domestic inn....
for his mental strength i think its better to call him on his cell and find out how fit is he?

[Saj]

It certainly wont be easy for Yousuf, given that a lot of his recent cricket has been against mediocre club cricketers in the ICL.

[Ali888]

his most recent cricket has been in Pakistan in the recent domestic competition in March 2009 where he showed no form and was bowled by that renowned bowler Shahzaib Hasan

his average in recent Pakistan domestic cricket (4 innings) is 16

[Saj]

Form is temporary, class is permanent.

Lets hope Yousuf's class comes through in this match.

[KA$H]

i don;t think mentally there will be any issue for Moyo - he is afterall teh best batsman in teh country

He will back himself and his instincts - i'm sure there will be an element of adjustment to make to his concentration, but class cricketers know how to cope with this - and no one can doubt his calibre

now phyiscally that s a different issue -

[Afridi_Fan]

Form is temporary, class is permanent.

Lets hope Yousuf's class comes through in this match.

Exactly

[Ali888]

form is temporary, class is permanent

Yes, maybe

But was yousuf class when he averaged about 40? Prior to his purple patch and name change ?

Looks to me like after he had an admittedly exceptional year against not very good bowling attacks mainly on subcontinent wickets people confused his excellent form for being permanent class

Anyway i doubt tomorrow will answer the debate satisfactorily as it is a flat pitch against an sl attack devoid of vaas, malinga and murali

[siccric]

form is temporary, class is permanent

Yes, maybe

But was yousuf class when he averaged about 40? Prior to his purple patch and name change ?

Looks to me like after he had an admittedly exceptional year against not very good bowling attacks mainly on subcontinent wickets people confused his excellent form for being permanent class

Anyway i doubt tomorrow will answer the debate satisfactorily as it is a flat pitch against an sl attack devoid of vaas, malinga and murali




He's averaged over 40 in every calender year he's played in

[afzaal1988]

his record is not good against sri lanka only averages 25 against them in test matches

[Geordie Ahmed]

Its not going to be easy for him BUT he is a class act and im sure he will be scoring runs for us again

[Zaz]

Its gonna be difficult on this pitch, hope hes up to it cos we are gonna need a decent score from him tmrw

[salman24]

form is temporary, class is permanent

Yes, maybe

But was yousuf class when he averaged about 40? Prior to his purple patch and name change ?

Looks to me like after he had an admittedly exceptional year against not very good bowling attacks mainly on subcontinent wickets people confused his excellent form for being permanent class

Anyway i doubt tomorrow will answer the debate satisfactorily as it is a flat pitch against an sl attack devoid of vaas, malinga and murali

Yousuf is a class player and always was a class player who has one of the best test records for Pakistan and carried Pakistan's batting along with Inzi and more recently Younis. He will play well iA. He just needs some time to settle down. Btw Pak has lost 2 early wickets on this "flat" pitch and SL were bowled out for 292. Why are the standards different for Yousuf. If he scores tomorrow then it will prove that he is fit to play. If not, then we need to give him some time as he is one of the best players we have and we need him.

[rash]

Yousuf just need to take his time, spend time on the crease im sure the runs will come, he need support from the other end. dont want to see wickets tumbling on the other end, surely he will score sum runs. lets hope and pray he finds the magic touch again

[akafen]

This series isnt going to be the barometer for Yousuf. He can fail completely in this series and you still have to keep him in the side. I think it will take some time b4 he's at his best and playing against the likes of Mendis isnt the best initiation back into test cricket.

[Zaz]

This series isnt going to be the barometer for Yousuf. He can fail completely in this series and you still have to keep him in the side. I think it will take some time b4 he's at his best and playing against the likes of Mendis isnt the best initiation back into test cricket.


We cant give him a free ride, if he looks utterly at sea and hopelessely out of form a change will have to be made for the final test

Id give him 4 innings

[pak4life]

Seems he has never been away. The 'lazy elegance' is lovely to watch :)

[spectator]

after all what has happened around him, who would have expected he would score more than 30 runs in first innings. he is a class act. hats off to you moyo.

[Afridi_Fan]

Seems he has never been away. The 'lazy elegance' is lovely to watch :)


Thats where class comes into play. Well Done :moyo:

[siccric]

Ah, great stuff from him

I hope he goes on to make a big one here :moyo

[Osman]

seems mentally prepared to me!

[Geordie Ahmed]

Nice 50, a good slap in the face of those that doubted the class of the man

Take a bow :moyo

[asifp]

so where will Moyo return in the world rankings?

[Saj]

Fantastic effort from Yousuf so far.

Lets have a ton MY.

[Bublu Bhuyan]

Man, lucky escape for him there. The umpire couldn't pick that edge. Anyway, it's been a commanding performance from him so far.

[the Great Khan]

Slap in the face of all those who doubted him..legend!!

[Toony™®]

Considering the top order failures as usual...MOYO saves face again. But, we cannot rely on him or the middle order to always deliver!

[pak4life]

so where will Moyo return in the world rankings?

In the top 5 I believe

[dblock]

He's never scored a century against Sri Lanka, can he change that.

[Umta]

Mo YO is back with a crucial knock at crucial stage of test match

[volcyz]

Malik batting with Yousuf... have they sorted out their differences

[Savak]

Cant believe people on here were actually suggesting that Pak drop Yousaf?

You dont become a senior, experienced player for nothing. And its good that in our subcontinent culture we adopt a more patient, understanding and respectful relationship and view point towards our senior players.

[rhussain33]

Darn right hes mentally prepared, pure class, best batsmen out of the team, his performance today showed it, when it mattered..

Lets see a ton Yousef... Insha'Allah.

I was thinking the same, about Malik and Yousef, hope they both cool and dont run eachother out on purpose or something or hog the strike.

[siccric]

To all those who doubted him, learn to have a little more patience sometimes. You can't drop a guy who averages 55 in test cricket just because he hasn't scored in first class matches or 4 day trial matches

[cricketpassion]

Great to see Yusuf back , I really like him as a batsman .very classy , elegance .Now it looks like pakistan batting is completed after his return .I hope he complete his 100.

[SwEeT CaNdY]

he did reallly welll....MAshallah

[Geordie Ahmed]

and he gets a ton (1st against SL) - fantastic knock

[Jedi Knight]

Superb Knock!!!!

What a gutsy and class player.

[cricketpassion]

well played moyo 100

[Amjid Javed]

Rubbish player! send him back to ICL, we dont need him :)

[abc_to_xyz]

Good innings on a worst Pitch....

[spectator]

he plays in a slow motion like a robot which is fasinating to watch.

[Boi]

Where's Ali888?

Great knock today from Moyo. Without that knock Pakistan would of really been struggling.

[abc_to_xyz]

he plays in a slow motion like a robot which is fasinating to watch.


Never saw any Robot with such class..

[muzher]

Class act.

Those who doubted him should hang their heads in shame.

[waqar_ahmad]

And mods strike again. Whatever!!

[hussein]

Some real concerns for Yousuf at the moment.

I agree

[Rizwan25]

You ask and he delivers...this should be moyo logo...lol

[salman24]

Where's Ali888?

[Ali888]

Anyway i doubt tomorrow will answer the debate satisfactorily as it is a flat pitch against an sl attack devoid of vaas, malinga and murali

seems that some people can't read

[Ali888]

As good a judge as Kamran Abbasi seems to agree that not only is Yousuf not mentally prepared for this Test but actually never has been...

Younis bemoaned a lack of steel and application among his senior players, echoes of his early complaints in the Twenty20 World Cup. He has a point. Pakistan's senior batsmen have historically struggled to summon sufficient mental fortitude to finish off a golden opportunity like the one presented to them at Galle.

This is why Javed Miandad and Inzamam-ul Haq - and to some degree Imran Khan - were such special batsmen for Pakistan. They were able to weigh anchor and force their less stable fellows to cling on to them. It is an attribute that Younis aspires to but hasn't consistently mastered. Shoaib Malik is even less familiar with such heroics.

But Pakistan's biggest worry is that this skill that has almost entirely escaped their heaviest run scorer. Mohammad Yousuf has continued almost exactly where he left off, with a fairytale first-innings hundred and a disappointment when it really mattered.

Don't get me wrong, Yousuf's return is a welcome triumph but Pakistan need him to play the decisive innings. These innings are hard to quantify but they are the ones that make the difference between defeat and failure. They mean more than averages and run-scoring records. These innings are the true path to greatness, a path that Mohammad Yousuf must tread.

http://blogs.cricinfo.com/pakspin/archives/2009/07/yousuf_and_the_true_path_to_gr.php

[Ali888]

Where's Ali888?

Where are the posters who can't read?

I said yousuf would probably not be found out against a sri lankan attack without murali, vaas and malinga... On flat tracks...


It turns out he was found out and thus i admit i overestimated his ability

Do we seriously expect this ageing shadow of a player who has shown he can not fire when it counts to do anything on a tour of Australia ? On fast bouncy tracks ?

[Savak]

Yousaf doesnt fail often but he let the team down when the team needed him most. But there is absolutely no excuse for Malik, Misbah and even Akmal with the bat along with the openers.

[observer1]

Where are the posters who can't read?

I said yousuf would probably not be found out against a sri lankan attack without murali, vaas and malinga... On flat tracks...


It turns out he was found out and thus i admit i overestimated his ability

Do we seriously expect this ageing shadow of a player who has shown he can not fire when it counts to do anything on a tour of Australia ? On fast bouncy tracks ?

You're nothing but a Typical Pakistani mate.

Happy when someone performs.

Frothing at the mouth the moment he hits some bad form.

I mean:
Do we seriously expect this ageing shadow of a player who has shown he can not fire when it counts


What the ? :35:

Are you deliberately acting mentally obtuse?

No offense, but that is one of the most ridiculous statements i have ever seen.

Yousuf, like Miandad and Inzi has won more games for Pakistan more than any other player.

[observer1]

Yousaf doesnt fail often but he let the team down when the team needed him most. But there is absolutely no excuse for Malik, Misbah and even Akmal with the bat along with the openers.

That does not make sense..

He always perorms when the team "Need him most". Which is practically every match.

So if Pakistan lose, it's his fault?

Isn't it about time other players make some runs too?

[kingusama92]

Mohammad Yousuf is still a good batsman and that was displayed when he cracked a hundred in the 1st test.

It's unrealistic to expect him to score centuries every match ... he's not a machine.

This was a collective failure by the entire middle order... and some changes will have to be made but Yousuf won't be the one going that's for sure.

[Ali888]

the criticism levelled by kamran abbasi still holds, that century was in a losing cause and not a big century like fawads

Fawad took on the new ball, yousuf shys away from facing the new ball

Fawad, umar akmal and shehryar ghani are all waiting in the wings, young guys who can step up to the plate and have room to grow with pakistan

Yousuf had his time, just like bevan, lehman and martyn a professional cricket board would show him the door and stop him standing in the way of the next generation on the spurious grounds of seniority

At his age to justify his place he should be scoring match winning knocks and winning the key turning point battles, he isn't