Yousuf keen on captaincy

A day after Younis Khan rejected the position; Mohammad Yousuf has said he would like to be captain of Pakistan.

Speaking to website Cricinfo he said: “I have no problem leading the team. It has always been an honour to represent Pakistan and it would be a real pleasure to lead the team.”

Khan rejected the offer because of the stress it would put on him, but Yousuf has no such concerns, and also hinted he felt he deserved the job after his record-breaking 2006: “I don’t see any kind of pressure in the job. I think I’m a worthy candidate as in the last year I have really proven myself.”

Yousuf has captaincy experience at the highest level; he was Inzamam’s deputy following the 2003 World Cup. During this period he led Pakistan on three occasions, a win at Lahore against South Africa and two losses away to Australia. “We won that Test against South Africa and in Australia as captain, I made a hundred. And before that, I was vice-captain so I am confident I can do the job justice.”

As a senior figure in the side, Yousuf’s name has been an obvious one when thinking about the captaincy. However, younger players’ names have been suggested as well, such as Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt.

Yousuf suggested a senior player would be the best choice for now, with a younger player to be prepared for the role: “Whoever is selected, it should be done soon. Ideally, a good step would be to appoint an experienced player and allow him to groom a youngster for the role.”