Omair Bin Yousuf: “He told us that if we wish to play cricket at the highest level then the only way to do that is to constantly look to improve oneself”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Omair Bin Yousuf, the fast rising Pakistan batsman, said former all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez advised him to keep on improving.
Yousuf noted that during the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), he got the chance to pick Hafeez’s brain and was told to never be complacent.
The 24-year-old from Karachi added that Hafeez also instructed him to add new skills to his arsenal so that he becomes an even more valuable player.
“I feel that the wise words of Mohammad Hafeez who was our senior player with Quetta Gladiators in PSL 8 are ones that I repeat to myself,” Yousuf told PakPassion. “He told us that if we wish to play cricket at the highest level then the only way to do that is to constantly look to improve oneself.
“One must look to upgrade skills at every opportunity and these are words that are stuck in my head. Hafeez felt that one had to look to add on new skills or look to always improve current skills or else you would stagnate.
“Just performing well is not enough but you need to assess how you can further improve yourself. This advice is one that is my guiding light and hopefully based on this, I will be able to continue to improve myself.”
Yousuf was not selected for Pakistan’s recent two-Test series against Sri Lanka or their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.
He also isn’t part of the squad for the ongoing Asia Cup, where the men in green beat Nepal by 238 runs before sharing one point apiece with India as their match was rained off after the men in blue were bowled out for 266.
Heading into the Super Four stage, the men in green began with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Lahore.
Their next match will see them face off against India once again on September 10 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup:Â Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr.
Travelling reserve: Tayyab Tahir