Mohammad Yousuf PP SI (Punjabi, ; formerly Yousuf Youhana, ; born 27 August 1974) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer and captain, who played all three formats. Prior to his conversion to Islam, Yousuf was one of the few Christians to play for the Pakistan national cricket team. Yousuf scored 1,788 runs in 2006 which is a world record for most runs scored in a year in tests at an average of almost 100. He was a part of the Pakistan squad which finished as runners-up at the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
Yousuf was banned from playing international cricket for Pakistan by the Pakistan Cricket Board on 10 March 2010, following an inquiry into the team's defeats during the tour of Australia. An official statement was released by the Pakistan Cricket Board, saying that he would not be selected again because he had created disciplinary problems and infighting within the team. However, following Pakistan's disastrous first Test against England in July/August 2010, PCB decided to ask Yousuf to come out of retirement.
Early and personal life
Yousuf was born in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan to a Punjabi Christian family. Though a Christian, his forefathers belonged to the Chuhra community, a Dalit caste of sweepers.
As a boy, he couldn't afford cricket gear and played street cricket with his brother's taped tennis ball and wooden planks. As a 12-year-old, he was spotted by the Golden Gymkhana, and he subsequently joined Lahore's Forman Christian College and continued playing until stopping abruptly in early 1994.
Yousuf, hailing from a poor background, was plucked from the obscurity of a tailor's shop in the slums of the eastern city of Lahore to play a local match in the 1990s. His well-crafted shots attracted attention and he rose through the ranks to become one of Pakistan's best batsmen.
Conversion to Islam
Until his conversion to Islam in 2005, Yousuf was the fourth Christian (and fifth non-Muslim overall) to play for the Pakistan cricket team, following in the footsteps of Wallis Mathias, Antao D'Souza and the Anglo-Pakistani Duncan Sharpe. He also has the distinction of being the first and so far only non-Muslim to captain the country, leading the team in the 2004–05 tour of Australia where he scored a century in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He converted to Islam after attending regular preaching sessions of the Tablighi Jamaat, Pakistan's largest non-political religious grouping, whose preachers include Yousuf's former teammate Saeed Anwar and his brother. His wife Tania converted along with him and adopted the Islamic name Fatima. However, the news was kept private for three months due to family reasons as well as his own decision to practice his faith, before his announcement of their conversion publicly in September 2005. "I don't want to give Yousuf my name after what he has done", his mother was quoted as saying by the Daily Times newspaper. "We came to know about his decision when he offered Friday prayers at a local mosque. It was a shock", his mother was reported as saying. However, Yousuf told the BBC of his conversion to Islam: "I cannot tell you what a great feeling it is." As part of his conversion, Yousuf officially changed his name from Yousuf Youhana to Mohammad Yousuf.
Former Pakistan cricketer, sports commentator & former PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja, who himself is Muslim, acknowledged the significance of Yousuf's new faith: "Religion has played an integral part in his growth not just as a cricketer but as a person." Yousuf became the fourth recipient of the ICC 'Test Cricketer of the Year' award for 2007, he scored 944 runs at an average of 94.40 including seven centuries and two fifties in just 10 innings and that was enough to be awarded the honour ahead of English batsman Kevin Pietersen and Australian batsman Ricky Ponting.
A year that started on a promising note, Yousuf carried it forward to break two world records, both held earlier by former West Indian batsman Viv Richards. The 32-year-old Pakistani batsman achieved an unparalleled 1788 runs in just 10 Test matches with the help of twelve centuries which became his second world record. Yousuf was known for his ability to score runs at exceptional rate through his great technique and composed strokeplay. Although capable of hitting the ball hard, Yousuf was quick between the wickets, although he was prone to being run out.