Yousuf not happy with Pakistan Team selectors

Karachi: Pakistan's former captain and senior batsman Mohammed Yousuf has expressed disappointment at the treatment being meted out to him by the national selectors but stopped short of announcing retirement plans.

Yousuf told the media while playing a match of the national one-day championship in Karachi for Lahore that he was disappointed at not being picked for the one-day series in New Zealand.

"I don't know what is the criteria of the selectors for selecting someone. I am in form and I am fit what more can I do to convince them I should play for Pakistan," Yousuf said.

The national selectors did not consider him for the ODIs in New Zealand but have named him in the preliminary list of 30 players for the World Cup.

But sources close to the selectors say that they are not convinced that Yousuf is 100 percent match fit for a major tournament like the World Cup.
But Yousuf, who scored 63 for Lahore on Sunday, said he was match fit or would not be playing in domestic cricket.
"I had some problem with a strained muscle while touring UAE for the South Africa series but now I have made a complete recovery. An unfit batsman cannot take three and two runs regularly during his innings," he said while referring to his innings.

Yousuf said that at times he was so upset with the attitude of the selectors that he felt that he should never have come out of retirement.

"In Pakistan it has become like a 'Sunnat' (good deed) for selectors to drop and sideline senior players who are their peak."

Yousuf, 36, who has twice announced retirements in his career spanning 90 Tests and 288 ODIs, said he was batting well and knew he could still serve Pakistan cricket.