Haroon Rasheed: “Even big players like Azhar Ali or Mohammad Yousuf didn’t perform well initially. It will take some time for new players to settle and make their place”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Haroon Rasheed, the former Pakistan chief selector, revealed that renowned batsmen Mohammad Yousuf and Azhar Ali “didn’t perform well initially” in their careers.
However, after managing to settle down, they cemented their spots in the national team with strong performances and went on to become two of the country’s greatest-ever batters.
Yousuf, who was recently Pakistan’s batting coach, played 90 Tests and scored 7,530 runs, which included 24 centuries and 33 fifties, at an average of 52.29.
He also featured in 288 ODIs and accumulated 9,720 runs, which included 15 hundreds and 64 half-centuries, at an average of 41.71.
As for his T20I career, he made 50 runs in three matches at an average of 16.66.
Azhar, meanwhile, made 7,142 runs in 97 Tests, which included 19 centuries and 35 fifties, at an average of 42.26.
He also amassed 1,845 runs in 53 ODIs, which included three hundreds and 12 half-centuries, at an average of 36.90.
Rasheed noted that Yousuf and Azhar serve as a perfect example of how players can turn their fortunes around if they work hard and are hungry to succeed.
“Even big players like Azhar Ali or Mohammad Yousuf didn’t perform well initially. It will take some time for new players to settle and make their place,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
The Pakistan team recently beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in a Test series and then proceeded to whitewash Afghanistan 3-0 in an ODI series.
They are now playing in the Asia Cup, where they started their campaign with a comprehensive 238-run win over Nepal.
Following this, they were forced to share one point apiece with India as their match was rained off after the men in blue were bowled out for 266.
Advancing to the Super Four stage, the men in green continued to impress as they eased their way to a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Lahore.
However, they suffered a setback in their clash against India as they were thrashed by 228 runs.
Pakistan will be looking to bounce back in their Super Four game against Sri Lanka on September 14 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup: 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, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zaman Khan.
Travelling reserve: Tayyab Tahir