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NEWS Pakistan in India 2005>Will Youhana gain from conversion? 19th Sept 2005 18.01 IST By Agencies In the Byzantine ways of Pakistan cricket politics, the conversion of Yousuf Youhana (now Mohammad Yousuf) from Christianity to Islam may see his return to the vice-captaincy of the national side and eventually the captaincy itself. As vice-captain, Youhana led Pakistan in two Test matches in Australia last season when captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was injured and also in some One-day Internationals.
Reportedly, it was former captain Imran Khan, still wielding considerable clout in Pakistan cricket who objected to Youhana's position in the side and this led to his being replaced. He had identified Younis Khan as replacement for Inzamam as leader of the Pakistan team. According to another Pakistan columnist, Imran had stated that Yousuf did not have the right ''character'' to lead Pakistan and hence should be replaced. Writing in 'The Nation' newspaper in February, journalist Zafar Samdani wrote ''The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has stabbed the team in the back in a totally incomprehensible move by replacing the vice-captain (Youhana) with a player (Younis) who, judging by the management of the team in Australia (where Pakistan had just returned from after being beaten 3-0), is not treated as automatic member of their playing eleven''. Hinting at this, columnist Kamran Abbasi wrote in Wisden Asia Cricket (October 2004): ''When Youhana has substituted for Inzamam, his captaincy has been imaginative and astute, but highly placed insiders claim that Youhana is too self-serving to win the players' confidence. His religion too makes the calculus more complex, when it should not even be a factor''. Also View In-Depth Coverage: Pakistan in India 2005 Team Page: Pakistan Team Page: India | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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