| Born: |
27 August 1974, Lahore, Punjab |
|
| Major
Teams: |
Bahawalpur Cricket Association; Bahawalpur, Lahore
Cricket Association, Pakistan International Airlines,
Water and Power Development Authority, Pakistan. |
| Known
As: |
Yousuf Youhana |
| Pronounced: |
Yousuf Youhana |
| Batting
Style: |
Right Hand Bat |
| Test
Debut: |
Pakistan v South Africa at Durban, 2nd Test, 1997/98 |
| Latest
Test: |
Pakistan v South Africa at Durban, 1st Test, 2002/03 |
| ODI
Debut: |
Pakistan v Zimbabwe at Harare, 1st ODI, 1997/98 |
| Latest
ODI: |
Pakistan v South Africa at Cape Town, 5th ODI, 2002/03 |
|
Profile:
Elegance personified
There is an extravagant flourish
in his strokes, a seeming effortlessness, graceful footwork,
exquisite timing and an exaggerated high backlift reminiscent of
Zaheer Abbas. Yousuf Youhana is the highest star on Pakistan's
cricket horizon and has established himself as one of the most
exciting batsmen in contemporary cricket.
Born on August 27, 1974, Youhana
has proved his mettle in both genres of the game. In the abridged
version, the youngster has the eye and reflexes to maintain a
brisk run-rate. Making his intentions clear at the very outset,
Youhana shows a ready willingness to dance down the wicket to the
flighted hall and loft it high and straight over the are between
mid-off and mid-on. The fast men of the game also fare no better
against his onslaught.
In Test cricket, Youhana displays
his versatility by executing superb ground shots that unerringly
bisect the fielders. His elegance and range of shots make
comparisons with the great Zaheer Abbas inevitable. Youhana has
blended his command over ground and aerial shots into one
consistent technique which serves him equally well in both forms
of cricket. His earlier failures were due to 'soft' dismissals, a
careless defensive push to lob a catch, a sudden lapse in
concentration, or just a failure of temperament.
But all of this was before the
advent of coach Javed Miandad. The latter has spent long hours
teaching Youhana the simple tricks to overcome his flaws. To many
observers, however, he appears obsessed with style and this proves
to be his undoing on many occasions.
Still, not many middle-order
batsmen can boast a strike-rate of 67.69 per cent in one-dayers,
and should he overcome his impetuosity, his Test batting average
would be much higher than the current 40.37 per innings.
Miandad's hard work was visible
during Pakistan's last tour of the Caribbean, where Youhana made
two back-to-back Test hundreds and this form continued to serve
him well during the Asia Cup held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he
was named the Man of the Tournament, and also against England at
home. Ravi Shastri chose to describe him as a "street smart
cricketer", a tribute that would have greatly pleased Miandad.
Youhana
starts off by rotating the strike, stealing ones and twos by
nudging the ball past the close-in fielders. So good is his
initial tempo that one barely notices the first unruffled 20-odd
runs. Once he has a measure of the wicket and the bowling, he
shifts gear and starts looking for boundaries by placing the ball
through the gaps. Once his innings has gained momentum, he shifts
up another notch to really cut loose and send the ball flying to
all parts of the ground. From what we have seen of him so far,
once can safely state that Youhana's best form is yet to come.
Still 26, Youhana is the batsman, to watch for in the next few
years. Indeed, to some experts, he is in the same mould as Brian
Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh.
|