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Yousuf on his way to England for 2nd test
BIRMINGHAM, England — Former captain Mohammad Yousuf will land in England a day before the second test starts on Friday, but his lack of any cricket since March means he may not even play for Pakistan.
A day’s delay in receiving the necessary sports visa for the United Kingdom meant Yousuf didn’t leave Pakistan until Wednesday.
He’s expected to arrive in Birmingham only hours before the Pakistan selectors choose the team for the test, but doubts abound whether the end of his exile from the national team will turn into a recall to the playing 11 at Edgbaston.
‘He has got the visa today and he will be joining the team tomorrow. I don’t know if he will have enough time to be ready for the test,’ Pakistan team official Shafqat Rana told the cricinfo website on Wednesday.
After leading Pakistan on this year’s winless tour of Australia, Yousuf was charged with infighting and received an indefinite ban from the Pakistan Cricket Board, which said his presence in the national team would be harmful.
Yousuf immediately retired from international duty after 88 tests, with a 53 average and 24 centuries, but last month the 35-year-old middle-order batsman announced he was available again for Pakistan.
Within hours of Pakistan losing the first test by 354 runs at Trent Bridge on Sunday, Yousuf was recalled in controversy, as he hasn’t played for five months, while another former captain, Younis Khan, against whom Yousuf sparred on the Australian tour, has been representing Surrey in the English championship.
Current captain Salman Butt said this week the selectors should keep faith with young batsmen Azhar Ali and Umar Amin, who only last month helped Pakistan rebound to beat Australia at Headingley to even that series 1-1.
Uncapped 18-year-old spinner Raza Hasan, already in England, was promoted along with Yousuf, while veteran legspinner Danish Kaneria was dropped.
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