Nasim Ashraf does not squirm as he dubs Mohammad Yousuf as the backbone
of Pakistani batting line-up and the PCB Chairman is optimistic that the run-machine
is not yet lost to the lure of Indian Cricket League (ICL). 
An overtly religious Yousuf's decision to defect to the cash-rich
rebel league, even if it jeopardised his career with the national team, rocked
the Pakistan Cricket Board but Ashraf insists he has not given up yet.
"Yes, he has been the backbone of Pakistan batting
and we badly need him back to where he belonged. Whether it's Test or one-dayers,
he was one player we could not do away with. And I'm still confident that we
would see him in Pakistan colours again," Ashraf said in an interview here.
Yousuf, along with his former captain Inzamam-ul Haq and teammates
Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat and Azhar Mehmood, joined the Indian breakaway league
but Ashraf is confident he can wean away the player.
"I'm still hopeful. I don't know whether he has indeed signed the contract.
I hope he, for the team's sake, and above all, his career's sake, takes the
right decision.
"He is basically a good human being, a gentleman and a
perfect team-man to boot. He has been an indispensable player for us and it
would be good for both parties if he comes back." Yousuf was in scintillating
form last year, scoring 1,788 runs in 11 Tests, including nine hundreds, a feat
that won him the ICC Test Player of the Year award in Johannesburg earlier
this week.
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