Mohammad Yousuf should not retire - Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's captain for the upcoming ICC World Twenty20, has called on Mohammad Yousuf to reconsider his decision to retire from international cricket. Yousuf, banned indefinitely by the PCB in the aftermath of a disastrous tour of Australia, is expected to make a formal announcement on Monday.

"I think Yousuf is taking an emotional decision, but I think he must reconsider his decision because he still has a lot to give to Pakistan cricket," Afridi was quoted as saying by PTI. "Yousuf I think has been affected by the recent happenings and is upset with the ban on him, but he is a senior player and he must handle the situation. He must not take an emotional decision.

"We have a lot of Test matches coming up in next 10 to 12 months and we need his experience against the top teams like Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand."

Yousuf has over seven thousand Test runs from 88 Tests at 53.07, the highest average for any Pakistani batsman. He has 39 international hundreds, including 24 in Tests alone

Yousuf was among seven Pakistan players penalised, for various reasons after a winless tour of Australia. Younis Khan and Yousuf were banned indefinitely for "infighting" and "attitude" that, the PCB said, was a "bad influence" on the team. Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan were handed one-year bans, while Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined and placed on probation for six months.