Pakistan’s former Test cricketer Mohammad Yousuf has said that he is ready to play for Pakistan if newly appointed Cricket Board’s Chief, Zaka Ashraf calls him for a meeting. Talking to media in Lahore, veteran cricketer said that it is really hard to understand why he was dropped from the team despite good performance. I was not playing domestic cricket due to disappointment with the selection committee, he added. Yousuf is out of international cricket since 2010 and is keen to get a hearing from the new chairman of the PCB, as he believes the national selection committee has treated him unjustly. “Yes definitely I would like to meet with the new chairman and request him to ask the selectors on what criteria they dropped me from the national team,” Yousuf said. Yousuf has been sidelined by the selectors since the series against South Africa last year in the UAE. The veteran of 90 Test matches reiterated that he was available to play for the national team in any format of the game. “But first I want to know the reasons for which the selectors dropped me and then didn’t consider me all these months for selection despite my record,” Yousuf said. “I will also ask the new chairman to speak to the selectors, who sidelined me without giving any explanation as to what were the reasons for not selecting me,” he added. The senior player said the selectors continued to ignore him even after he played with a lot of spirit in domestic cricket. Cricket analysts believe that with the induction of Zaka Ashraf as the new chairman of the board, the senior players are now optimistic that the change will see them back. “That explains why Yousuf after waiting and keeping quiet for so long is now finally demanding that he be told the reasons for sidelining him,” a former cricketer said. “The senior players believe that the new chairman is more player-friendly than Butt,” he insisted.
