Yousuf may miss two Tests against South Africa

Lahore, Jan 9 (UNI) Pakistan's record breaking batsman Mohammad Yousuf has been ruled out of the first Test against South Africa starting on Thursday and could miss the second of the three-Test series also.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement that Yousuf had a meeting with the officials and expressed his desire to be with his wife at the time of her surgery which is expected to take place either on the January 12 or 19 depending on her condition.

''In case the surgery takes place on January 12, the star batsman will leave on January 14 to join the team in South Africa whereas he will leave on January 21 in case the surgery takes place on January 19,'' the statement said.

Yousuf did not accompany the touring party that left for South Africa last week as he went to perform Hajj last month.

He was scheduled to join his teammates over the weekend but changed his plans after his wife developed some complications in her pregnancy.

His absence would be a blow to the Pakistan already hit by injuries, though tearaway speedster Shoaib Akhtar has been drafted in the squad to take the place young pacer Umar Gul who has been ruled out for two to three weeks due to ankle injury.

All-rounder Shoaib Malik is also suffering from ankle problems while another all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has already been ruled out of the series with a calf muscle injury.

Yousuf was Pakistan's most successful batsman last year scoring 1,788 runs with nine centuries, breaking the 30-year record for most runs and hundreds in a calender year set by West Indian Viv Richards.

The 32-year-old, whose father died last month, had scored 6,402 runs in 73 Tests and 7,608 in 228 one-day internationals.

The second Test is scheduled for January 19-23 at Port Elizabeth while the third Test starts in Cape Town from January 26.

UNI