Yousuf back on cricket field after international retirement

Lahore:

Former Pakistan captain Muhammad Yousuf will this week return to the cricket field for the first time since announcing his international retirement in March.

Yousuf is set to appear in a local club tournament called the Lahore Premier League.

The senior batsman, who had announced his retirement after the Pakistan Cricket Board banned him for an indefinite period in March, said he was looking forward to the tournament.

"I am still passionate about cricket and I am looking forward to playing this tournament. But right now I am not thinking about playing international cricket," Yousuf said.

Yousuf, who was captain on the troubled Test tours to New Zealand and Australia earlier this year, didn't appeal against his ban insisting the board had not been fair with him.

Yousuf was among seven players whom the board either banned or fined on the recommendations of an inquiry committee that probed into the team's poor performance in Australia earlier in the year.

"Cricket is in my blood and I still enjoy playing the sport. It will be a challenge to play again and specially in a club level tournament," Yousuf said.

"I plan to play domestic cricket this season but right now International cricket is not on my mind. If I do plan to return I will target the test and one-day series against South Africa later this year in the UAE," he added.

Yousuf said England would be a challenging tour for the Pakistan team and the youngsters in the team had a great opportunity to show the selectors they were capable of playing at the top level.

"I would have picked Younus in the side for such a challenging tour," he added.