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 told PTI in an interview in New Delhi.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.His achievement also saw him pip Viv Richards' long-standing record of most Test runs in a calendar year, besides hitting most Test hundreds in a year.What makes Ashraf even more optimistic is Yousuf's remark this week that despite signing for ICL, representing Pakistan remained his priority."No one can question my commitment to Pakistan. I know I can continue to contribute another few years. But I will return to Lahore on September 20 and than decide on my future course of action," he said on Wednesday.Ashraf revealed that he also spoke to Farhat to discourage him from taking the ICL plunge."Farhat is not an automatic choice but he has potential and I did not want a youngster like him to lose his way. I spoke to him and tried to convince him that his future lies in Pakistan cricket, not anywhere else. But he seemed to have other ideas," he said.Not surprisingly, the PCB chief did not attach much importance to the exit of Inzamam and Razzaq and was not even ready to dwell on their future. Ashraf hinted the he was not keen on retaining a over-the-hill Inzamam and a spent force like Razzaq.Players' exodus to ICL is not the only thing Ashraf has been grappling with.The Johannesburg brawl, where Shoaib Akhtar picked up his bat to hit pace colleague Mohammad Asif before he was sent back home, has also been keeping him busy. A three-member panel has been formed to probe the embarrassing episode and Ashraf refuses to discuss the issue."Please, don't ask me anything about that. An inquiry is on and neither me nor any other PCB official would comment on the incident. Once the World Cup is over, you would get to know everything," he said.
