Yousuf dealt with this particular comparison expertly by stating his own reverance for cricket's greatest master blaster. I agree with Yousuf: there is no comparison.

The second comparison foisted upon Yousuf is the one Inzamam-ul Haq discussed in his newspaper column. Yousuf, said Inzy, is the best ever Pakistani batsman, better than Javed Miandad, and better than Inzy too. Can this be true?

For help I turned to Saad Shafqat, my friend and co-author of Javed's autobiography. Saad offered the following analysis:

"Is MoYo better than JM?

Well, it's always treacherous comparing batsmen from different eras, but I can think of three important comparisons between MY and JM in which JM comes out ahead.

First, JM has played some phenomenal innings - Sharjah 1986, Georgetown 1988, Colchester 1981 - that have cast a longer shadow and created more ripples than anything MY has done so far.

Second, at the top of his game JM was for a while considered first among equals within the elite batsmen of his day - Gavaskar, Crowe, Border, Gooch, Gower, and Richards. (Actually Richards was perhaps always a bit ahead of the pack but JM easily rubbed shoulders with the rest.) MY, in contrast, is still not considered in the same league as his elite contemporaries - Dravid, Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting, Kallis, and even Inzy. MY could still get there, but he has yet to prove himself against this group.

Third, JM brought a lot more to the side than his batting. He was and is a tactical genius and he knew better than anyone how to fight the good fight. His legacy for Pakistan is not just in the batting stats he has left behind but in fact he transformed an entire nation's psyche and made it believe in it's own possibilities.

Oh, and of course JM had mastered the basics like running between the wickets, an area in which MY is a trainwreck."

I agree. Javed was a true master who erased any doubts about his record against the best teams in that 1988 series and in the way he almost single-handedly held together Pakistan's batting in the 1992 World Cup. He also hit the world's most famous six. Viv Richards once said that if he ever had to choose anybody to bat for his life it would be Javed. There can be no higher compliment.

In cricket there are statistics and then there is influence. Influence in cricket, like influence everywhere else, is hard to measure. In my view, Javed influenced more games than any other Pakistan batsman. Yousuf has begun to be more and more influential but he is still well behind Javed and even Inzy.

This doesn't mean that Yousuf does not deserve the utmost respect. He has conducted himself with remarkable honour and modesty. And he is right to point to his innings at Lord's this year as his best. I was lucky enough to be at the home of cricket to see the innings, possibly the most perfect innings ever by a Pakistani batsman. For the brilliance of that double hundred alone he deserves to break the record.

But whether or not he surpasses Viv Richards, Yousuf is a winner today. As some of you have pointed out already, Yousuf's success is a triumph of humility in an age of hubris. Let's hope the Karachi crowd gives him an appropriate reception.

COMPARING PEOPLE IS.......it worth making all these comparisons?

En Francais,"comparer des pommes avec des oranges" or
In English, "comparing 'apples to oranges' or
The Dutch would compare "apples with pears"
The Serbians would compare 'grandmothers and frogs' or
The Romanians would say, compare grandmother and machine guns!

We compare apples and oranges all the time. We compare them by price, by how much we like the taste, by likely sweetness and ripeness, by how well they'll go in a tasty fruit cocktail, so on and so forth. In fact, every time we go buy apples rather than oranges — or vice versa — we are necessarily if implicitly comparing apples and oranges. These are false analogies and descriptive statements capable of logical or scientific counter-examples.

In so many languages oranges are implicitly or explicitly referred to as a type of apple, specifically a "golden apple" or a "Chinese apple." For example, the Greek chrysomelia and Latin pomum aurantium both literally describe oranges as "golden apples." In other languages like German, Finnish, Russian the terms for the bitter orange (a related species) are derived from Latin pomum aurantium. In Dutch, sweet oranges are called sinaasappel, (sina = China) which is derived from "China's apple."

I would like to come back to KAMRAN'S point, this comparison business is just a debate, its not going to make YOUSUF any better than Viv Richards or Javed Miandad and vice versa. Lets all hope and pray that he makes a 50 in the second innings and reach that landmark. DON'T forget that records are made to be broken by someone else, it gives them the impetus to excel and perform better.

YOUSUF............the whole country is behind you and those like me who are thousands of miles away from HOME....are wishing you the BEST OF LUCK. :-)

Well....Lets hop Yousuf does it!! though chances now have become even more dim after the rain, whihc would have certainly worsen the pitch condition!! but, lets be optimistic. Yes, one has to agree, and now being one muslim, one has to believe, that the ALMIGHTY will help him out again as MoYo always says humbly " Everything is from ALLAH". Now, as far as comparison, i personaly feel that Yousuf doesnt lag behind any of the modern day batsmen except Lara is not matchable to any!! But, Yousuf is very much standing there with the likes of Dravid, Ponting, Kallis or Inzi himself. I guess, having an influence on the game is too narrow a criteria for judging a batsman's class. If winning matches or saving them is considered a benchmark then i am afraid Dravid and Ponting have hardly won or saved many matches for thier teams. For aussies it is almost always a McGrtah/Warne show and for indians its nobody's how as they hardly win. Even, the greatest of all BRIAL LARA doesnt meet the standard. Only Inzi and Kallis are the modern day batsmen who really have influenced the outcomes of many a matches. Yousuf has won many ODIs for Pakistan if not many test matches. Miandad was a different batsman altogether. THose who love copy book batting may not like Miandad that much. For amny a people, class and elegance is a stronger criteria of a batsman's quality. Yousuf is far more classy than Miandad one has to agree. and one day sooner than later, YOusuf wil be the highest run gtter for Pakistan, even then if we go on to say that Miandad was better than him coz he influenced more games wil not be a fair statement.

I think Mohammad Yousuf needs another couple of seasons of performances - if not as consistent and brilliant as this one, at least comparable. If he continues in the same - or a slightly lesser vein, I have no doubt he will be regarded in the same breath as JM.
I would like to mention here that just one season of ruling the world is not enough. Dilip Vengsarkar did so in 1986-87, but he failed to continue in the same vein and therefore people ceased to compare him with Richards, Miandad and Border.
Let us hope MoYo carries on.

An excellent piece once again. Javed's six of Chetan Sharma is still talked of in households with frenzy. I was a kid at that time, and still i can hear the hearts beating when people talk of that six. Yousuf on the other symbolizes simplicity in times where every body wants to hog the limelight. Different times produce different characters but Javed's legacy is untouched.

The best batsman Pakistan has produced??? There can be only one answer to that question. The legandary Javed Miandad. Yousuf is in a class of his own and i wish he reaches the same stature as Javed Miandad. The way he is batting, it should not take him long!!!

I totally agree that comparisons between players of different eras do not mean much. MoYo should be compared with his peers, batters in 30-35 years age group that have played at least 50 tests. Performance should be analyzed in terms of statistics, versatality (ability to succeed in different home and away environments and against teams ranked 1-5 in ICC rankings, contribution to team's success, etc. I hope some one will take this exercise up.

GO MOYO !!

I dont think any of our batting heroes right from Hanif to Yousaf have ever been glamorous. They have always been over shadowed by their more exciting contempories. They have never been short of talent but they have always been humble and always under-rated as compared to batsmen of their respective era.

I personally want Yousaf to emulate this record and he can easily be compared with Ponting if not with the great Richards.

I think Yusuf is a good player and even a better human being but not a great cricketer as JM.He is far ahead then anybody else in Pakistan as far as cricket is concerned. He is truly a genius.Imran Khan has earned a lot of praise for his leadership but that certainly involved JM suggestions which were never highlighted and he earned all the credit.So lets not compare JM with MY as he is not even near him as far as cricket is concerned.I am not saying that MY is not good,Certainly he is a great player in his own right and playing at his best at the moment. But certainly no comparisons with greats like Richards and JM.

It is true that statistics do not reveal the whole picture, but most of Yousuf's innings come under trying circumstances. Yousuf is not put in the calibre of ponting or lara is because of his low profile life style and because he doesn't hit the headlines as often as other (for better or worse). He has not got hit in the night club(ponting), or he has not been given an expensive Ferrari (Tendulkar). In the current pakistani set up Yousuf easily stands out the best batsman even better than Mr Inzy.

Dear Mr. Abbasi, I like your analysis of Mohammed Yousuf. Of course Jawed Miandad is the greatest Batsman of Pakistan but compairing him with his contemporaries, I think he is better than Dravid Kallis leaving Tendulkar, Lara and Pointing. Also I fully agree with yor comment that he has proved that cricket can be mixed with religion and still be comfortable. Other Pak players, and also all Muslim players of other counries should take lesson from him.... And in my opinion it is Allah who is helping him achieve. When you remember him HE will remember you. And, I'm sure, HE will help him achieve one more record and get pass thru Viv. I pray for him. Thanks. Mohiuddin.

Yes. Islam is that religion which not event support you when you firmly beleive init but also make you so proud that you can't EVEN DREAM. Thank you YOUSUF BHAI! Allah Bless You more & More. Amin!

Why compare MY to anyone....I think he'll be in a league of his own, soon. And the way he carries himself is better than any player, especially any Pakistani player. I've never read anything wrong about him....I hope he smashes this record outta the sky and forges his own identity. It's time for him to SHINE.

I agree with kamran's analysis on the best Pakistani batsmen and where Muhammad Yousuf stands in the elite line of master blasters. I also personally feel that no doubt Muhammad Yousuf has done a remarkable job of lifting his game to a seriously high level, he still has to outplay the Pakistani master blasters Javed Miandad and Inzamam-ul-Haq for there great accomplishments for cricket on national and international level. Apart from everything else not a single person today having a common sense (which is not so common indeed) will doubt the commitment and hunger for runs, the modesty, the generous and pious nature, the calmness and serenity of the religion brought in by Muhammad Yousuf on and off the field which is always refreshing and a great influence to each and every Pakistani and muslims of all ages, all around the world. He is in no doubt has a great future ahead with great new records waiting to be challenged and conquered with the ferociousness and sweetness of the blade (cricket bat) held by a muslim cricketer known as MUHAMMAD YOUSUF.

I think this writer should have come from 80s thats why he is unable to accept yousuf performance its remarkable, see yousuf has saved pakistan from many defeat this year, but miandad played with great player like imran wasim waqar, zahir abbas but yousuf doesnt have that kind of partners

you are right.mr abassi sir viv. was a king of batting.m.yousaf is going great guns but the dominance with which sir viv used to take up any attack on any surface is virtually unreachable by any one else.however, best of luck to m.yousaf for creating new record of highest runs in acalander year.

Hi, Kamran,
I really enjoy your and Osman Samiuddin's writing. I agree JM is still the best batsman Pakistan has ever produced and obviously there is no comparison. MY is marvellous too but still he some mountians to climb. Frankly, I had forgot to pray for Pakistan batsman ever since my hero Saeed Anwar hung his boots but today I really prayed for him to better this remarkable record by King Viv. Inshallah he would get it there. He is a bit shaky when he starts his innings but if he gets in I am sure he would make it. He has to be careful about his running, LBW and being bowled early on. If he manages that then it would not be any problem for him. Inshallah. Best of luck to MY.

Regards
Muhammad Asim
Lahore
Cricket Statistician and writer

I normally admire your views and topics Mr Kamran Abbasi but I am afraid that I dont really agree with the relevance of the topic you picked this time.Javed Miandad has proved his mantle and class at so many different levels.I believe that he is probably the greatest Pakistani batsman ever.I think it's unreasonable to compare batsmen from different eras simply because they cant be compared unless they play in similar conditions and against similar teams.so I believe comparison between Javed Miandad, Inzamam and Yousuf is ill-advised and wrongly conceived.Inzamam has proved his worth over so many years and Yousuf is I think still in the making of one of the all-time greats.One thing that I want to stress upon is the least recognition that Yousuf receives for his phenomenol role for Pakistan during all these years.I first saw him playing against South Africa in Pakistan and if I remember correctly he was the best Pakistani batsman in that series simply because of his patience and character.He was applauded but he has never been appreciated and regarded for his qualities as he should be and I very much doubt that he ever will be.One of the reasons i guess used to be that he was an alien being a christian in a muslim team. Now that factor removed, he still has that modesty which is a hindrance in the recognition of his true status.One more thing to mention is about Rameez Raja's label of Lazy elegance that he applied on him so consistently that even you have used it so fondly here.I am sorry to say that even with tha so-called lazy elegance Yousus was far better batsman that Raja could have ever been.
Gentlemen I think It's about time that we give the man the respect that he is due.If nothing else than atleast for the display during this last one year.Lastly I agree that he very much deserves the record.

Please do not shorten such a good name on your whims. I am not sure how Mohammed Yusuf feels about. I am not sure what you were thinking, Mr. KaBasi, but your choice sounds pretty stupid to me.

No doubt Mo Yo is Pakistan's premier batsman. I hope he does break the record. However to become a true great he will need to show his class in South Africa. If he can make batting look easy in south Africa then one might say he would have conquered all conditions. He has scored a century in Aus, he needs to prove his class in SA to become the complete batsman.

I agree with you Kamran Sahab. He is the first to come as close to this record and on the basis of his performances during entire year, he surely deserves to take this honor. On the other hand, comparing him with greats like JM after just one phenomomenal year is a bit too yearly, as that man consistantly performed superbly for decades. I was very young when Javed Bhai retired, so didn't get a lot of chances to watch him playing. But among other things that you mentioned, he is very famously only the second batsman in history whose average never came below 50.

Viv Richards also stated in all modesty that Sunil Gavaskar was the world's best batsman and that Sachin Tendulkar bats like he does. He was right about Javed, though.Javed Minadad is undoubtedly Pakistan's best batsman. He has proved himself against all kinds of bowling and in all situations. I used to hate him while he was playing against India, but most of us acknowledged that he was a genius in the cricket field. In fact,all of us who were watching the '96 WC semi-final at Bangalore gave him a standing ovation, after his dismissal.
Mohammed Yousuf is undoubtedly the most elegant batsman in world cricket today. His record against Australia and South Africa, however, is pathetic. He needs to improve that before he could be compared to Javed, richards, or even contemporary greats like Lara, Dravid and Ponting. On current form,he should do well against these teams.

Mohammad Yousuf is a fine batsman who deserves all the respect given to him. It is true that he is not really considered to be one of the elite batsmen of this era but he is certainly on the way.

Very good piece of writing. Yes, I agree Javed Miandad was the greatest ever batsman produced by Pakistan. I like two things about him most. i) He was one of the most determined batsmen of his generation. ii) He always scored runs when Pakistan really needed him to score.

Yousef is a great player, and definately better than Miandad. Miandad was a selfish player who played for records, which can be determined by the fact that he never forgave Imran Khan for declaring before he got a triple. Yousef is off a different breed of players, who does not look for records and personal glory, rather the interests of the team is supreme for Yousef. He is also a much better footwork than Miandad and in my book he will break all of Miandad's records, and deservedly so.

He deserves it and there is no doubt that at the moment he can break any and every record that comes his way. Keep up the good work M. Youhana.

I fully agree - JM was a true master of his era and i do think he belongs to the same leauge of Crowe, Gawasker etc. etc.

I hope for the sake of Pakistan that he breaks this record. I assure you we will give him the reception he had never imagined.

Well comparing JM with MY or Viv is just tilting the talents, everyone has give the game a lot. All are true batsmen and people enjoyed and enjoying seeing the game from such greats.

MY is a great batsman.. but he still has to prove himself as a match winner like inzi.. MY has a better avg. than both JM and Inzi but they were true match winners and MY is not upto that level yet.

i have always been a mohammad yousuf fan and feel great for him regardless of whether he breaks this record or not. u talked abt humility and its a great trait of yousuf's if only miandad and some other pakistani greats could have retained this maybe they would be more respected then they are. i honestly put yousuf in that class of kallis sachin and the rest. why are sachin and the rest so revered. its because of the big market in india and stats. i love the fact that no pakistani batsman plays for stats. if that was the case inzi wud have a lot of odi 100s. sachin is a great player but he plays for stats. the great in india, australia pump up there players and by revering them. no great former pakistani player came out in the media and praised yousuf or even when inzi had that great purple patch in 2005. sachin his played so many useless innings in his career. kallis has not scored many influential runs either. he usually crumbles look at there last tour to australia when he played a senseless 50 when rsa were in a good position. lara is truly great but then again wi dont win. they are on a come back but how many big innings has lara played that has positively influenced proceeding. 400 not out in a dead rubber. back to inzi. inzi has played more match winning 50s and 60s then tendulkar has 100s. stats are just a number its about substance. yousuf has acquired this substance and is running away with it now. for once can our greats respect the accomplishments of our players rather than dwell worry abt their egos. shame to intikhab alam who wasnt even that good on his assessment of shoaib. mind ur own business.

Like Mark Waugh and Azharuddin and VVS Laxman, MoYo makes hard work look easy. Makes batting a joy to watch. May he go on to score tons of runs in the future but not so many against India:)

oh yeah i failed to mention something abt the great javed miandad. he was a great batsman who turned around the losing culture in our cricket. but he didnt give inzi credit for passing his record of 24 test centuries. on some show on geo i remember him saying records are meant to be broken acting like a sore loser. what he shud have said was i am glad inzamam broke this record because he is a truly great batsman. but unfortunately that was not the case. our whole country is negative and maybe thats what stagnation does to people. its sad though when u here waugh compare ponting to bradman. people talk abt shane warne brilliant record. well for all of shoaib akhtars shortcomings off the field look at his avg in test cricket. lets appreciate our players so they do get noticed pcb and former players. i wasnt a big ramiz raja fan but he is fair. gives credit where credit is due. i am sure the cronies in the pcb and our patron in chief who for some odd reason gets to pick the chairman like in zimbabwe i might add no longer has any problems with yousuf praying tahajjud.

I don’t agree with the comments made about Viv Richards here that no batsman can match his skills. Look at Brian Charles Lara, I think Brian is the best batsman we have seen so far. Playing under pressure and still producing some of the most memorable innings.

And yeah Mohammad Yousaf deserves the records if he achieves this milestone.

I agree with Kamran. Viv was probably the greatest. Javed Miandad and Inzi are certainly the best Pakistani batsmen ever. All three men have single-handedly influenced several games.

But it is very hard to compare batsmen of different types and different eras. Yousuf has had a wonderful year, and I see him influencing outcomes of more and more matches.

But for me, he ranks above any other cricketer when it comes to humility. I listened to him yesterday when he talked about his chances of breaking Viv's record saying that "Viv was the greatest batsman. Even if I break his record, I am no where close to him. I think that such records look better with such great people."

My respect for him has gone sky-high. I just wish more people could be like him.

Funny things are happening in Karachi. No one asks what is the Windies' score or Pakistani score... they just ask , ' How much more does Yousuf need to break the record?'

Best of luck MoYo !!!

what i think there are no Gods in cricket. Ponting , Lara , Sachin or inzamam are all products of cricket. We create hero and the villians of the game. its all about the hunger of the predator. just like when a vamppire taste the blood, he wants more blood. just as batmans needs more runs and the glory. yousuf its greater than javed, you gave three reasons i will give you six, that make MY more higher than JM. javed did not played 50 onedays and 12 test matches in a years. Secondly the fitness promblems were due to accident not overload. third this generation produce bowlers like shane warne, murli(no doubt the best spinners of all time, MC Gra, wasim,donald, (best fast bowlers of all time), lee,shoaib(fastest bowlers of all time) and couunless others.and produced deliveries like doosra, slow balls and countless other magic came in this era. forth cricket is commercial, it involves billions of dollars, fame means money, money bring passion, and competition. fifth are the coaches of this era, they are qualified, and knows how to break the batmans by technique. sixth there pressure of the media and the public these days.......so there is no comparison between javed and your so called Moyo.

Despite the fact that Yousuf is a great player in his own right, Inzamam's regard for Yousuf as a better batsman than him is more on account of his own humility than anything else. But this verdict of his involving Miandad is utterly irresponsible and is nothing else than a testament of his personal preference.

I am not usually the one to speculate but this just points out the fact that Yousuf has a better relationship with Inzamam than what Miandad could foster. I mean, compare it with the notion that I dont ever picture him regarding either of Waqar or Wasim as greater bowlers than Imran.

Mohammad Yousuf is definately abetter batsman than Javed Miandad is not as a person.As we all know Javed Miandad always had been a controversial figure in Pakistan cricket.And sometime he says some silly thing only to be in the limmelight.WhereasMohammad Yousuf is far a better individual as per as the temperament is concerned.And Mohammad Yousuf has grown definately a better batsman after his conversion to islam.With the current form he is the best batsman in the world without any doubt.We hope he keeps on doing it for somewhile. Well done Yousuf.You deserve to be the greatest ever Pakistani batsman

Thats a fantastic article. It reminds me the discussion that we were reading a few months back regarding Zidane, if he was the best ever French footballer or Micheal Platinni? or even if he was better then the great Maradona?
Kamran Abbasi desrves applause to put things in the right prospective, perhaps most would agree to his analysis.

at least call Mohammed Yousaf by this name and not a nickname of Mo YO - what has he done to deserve this???

There is no doubt in it. He is best performer with highest level of humility in today's publicity ridden era of cricket. Those who "show off" with nothing to offer at performance aspect of the game should learn a lesson from MoYo and mend their ways.

I agree, Truly there is no comparison between Miandad and Yousuf. Miandad had an aura around him which is hard to find. Although when you compare Yousuf to Miandad just simply on stats they are not that different either. Yousuf has an average over 55 in tests and Miandad ended his career with an average of 52 in tests. Miandad took 124 tests to get to nearly 9,000 runs and Yousuf is well on his way to that and already has over 6,000 from 72 matches. One thing though is that Yousuf is reaching his prime at age 32 but Miandad was a prodigy from the streets of Karachi. It will be fitting that this soon to be great will reach this landmark in a legend's hometown.

I never had the chance to witness the greatness of Javed Miandad, however I must say that Mohammad Yusuf is the finest pakistani batsman i have ever seen.

He has improved his game immensely over the past 2 or 3 years, and he is easily the most consistent performer in Test Cricket in the world today.

His technique is very strong and his strokes are a joy to watch, he seems to make batting seem so easy mashallah.

I think where Mohammad Yusuf stands out, is that he doesnt necessarily have the support the other great batsmen of world cricket do. Ponting has other batsmen who can perform if he doesnt, (Langer, Hayden, Martyn). Dravid has (Sachin, Sehwag).

But Yusuf continually digs Pakistan out of tight situations, and he is never consistently supported. Whereas other pakistani batsmen(Younis Khan, Inzy) have fallen by the wayside towards the end of the year, Mohammad Yusuf has gone from strength to strength.

I hope he continues to carry on his fine form, as he is a hero to the Pakistani cricket team, and to the many muslims who see him on tv.

Muhammad Yousuf is an elegant stroke player via his superb timing, Javed Miandad was a very viable defensive batsman. Both are great batsmen in their own class.

Yousuf may break Viv's record but does that make him a better player? I think not. After all Hayden, Lara, Hutton and several others eclipsed Bradman's highest test score and most runs records but no-one in their right mind would rate those truly excellent playes as better than the Don. However records are made to be broken & Yousuf would be a deserving holder due to his abilities, skills and humility.

You might want to mark my words: yousuf, inzi and the rest of the flat track bullies are in for a torrid time on the bouncy wickets of south africa.

As salam o alikum,
Yeah i am agreed with you Abbasi JM had even has a much better class than any other cricketer. Mohammad yousaf is getting better day by day but i belive with his faith and religion practices Allah will give him more respect among others. let's hope to better in future but there is no doubt that he is the master key in pakistani team up to this point. We all hope to see him alwaz playing better cricket than any other player in the world and hopefuly he will make a history in this final test of the clander year and will be remembered 4ever.
May Allah make it possible and good luck to Mohammad Yousaf and pakistan.

Never saw Viv Richards play a game, but seen Javed Miandad play. I think JM got his team out of difficult situations more times then any other batsman (Viv Richards inclusive). But right now Yousuf is a class apart. His approach to the game is just amazing and he deserves to make the record his!

Congrats to Mohammad Yousaf. I agree he really deserves to create new record. I think it is premature to compare him with JM. Let him complete his innings and the statistics will speak itself.

was really gr8 for me to listion some thing fo javid(JM) after quite long, no doubt he was true crickter and he showed us how to play and win the games, there is no dound Yousaf is doing exactly but he need to keep this for a while to reach even near JM(haha).

Well said, JM was known as true crickter and a street fighter, MOYU might be a better batsman than JM but he has yet to prove to be a better crickting genious as JM was.
All the wishes for MY to prosper.

You are Kamran, essence of his success is his humility and calmness.May Allah give him more success.

I respect your comments sir, definately these are based on reality. I never seen Javed Miandad playing, but I heard a lot about his genius. He was simply great. But while comparing MY with JM, you forget to take consideration to one thing, and that is elegance, style, and beauty. As Sanjay Manjerkar describes MY cover drive as the most delicious shot to watch. It gives so much pleasure to watch MY bat. So neat and clean. Where as, I think JM (with all the respect) was not as good looking batsman as MY is. Most of the runs of JM were behind the square on third man or fine leg (seen videos of his 1992 WC batting), where as MY plays equally good, behind, cover, leg and straight. He might not yet equel to JM but I am sure , he is not far behind. May Allah bless him more and give him more success. The whole nation is praying for him. God bless you all.
Zahid Rao
Islamabad.

Yes, as a real cricket lover, we should realise the facts - Ponting is the no.1 batsman & M Yousuf just behind him and better thatn Sachin... but it is not better to compare the past players as the condition and situation always changing.....

I fully agree with the comment however I would like to add another quality of Miandad which is very hard to find in most of the top batsman in the world of recent time.

Miandad used to play for the team. He tried to make an optimum utilization of other batsman. Miandad 50 can never be considered as just 50 runs addition to total. Just take the example of world cup semi final. His half century comprise of just 20% of total runs require to win the match. But can Pakistan manage a victory if there is no Miandad or even the target is lesser then just 50?

I fully agree with the comment however I would like to add another quality of Miandad which is very hard to find in most of the top batsman in the world of recent time.

Miandad used to play for the team. He tried to make an optimum utilization of other batsman. Miandad 50 can never be considered as just 50 runs addition to total. Just take the example of world cup semi final. His half century comprise of just 20% of total runs require to win the matc. But can Pakistan manage a victory if there is no Miandad or even the target is lesser then just 50.

I agree with a very well balanced article by Kamran Abassi. However I would say that a couple more years of the same batting, particularly performances in South Africa and Australia, should set his place amongst the elite batsmen.

He is a crafter.A character who meant business always while he has been in pakistan cricket team amidst lots of things happening around him.

What is it with you guys constantly comparing past players to current players, it is not possible to do this fairly, is it Yousuf's fault he hasn't had a 4 prong pace attack as good as the Windies back in the 80s?

Yousuf is far more elegant and delightful to watch than Javed, of that I am certain, Yousuf is just about the most elegant strokeplayer of the modern bunch, I salute him.

While agreeing to what Kamran has said, I would add that somewhat related to his humility is also MY's unique feature: He is a very good follower and Pakistan team (or any other Pakistan setup) badly needs good, talented, sincere, workaholic followers like the great MY. Hats off to Muhammad Yousuf for his selfless dedication to the cause of the team. If he can do that for a couple of years more, no doubt he will be up there with JM, Inzy, Lara, Ponting, Dravid, Kallis and yes even king Viv.

I agree with you, Kamran that at this stage Yousaf's comparison with Javed or Sir Viv is not just. It is true that Yousaf is at the peak of his prowess and is experiencing one of the purplest patches in his international career so far. It is now that he has started translating his immense talent into performance, or in your words "Lazy elegance into lofty elegance", but one scoring streak can not measure the stature of a batsman. He is going in the right direction and is getting closer to the best batsmen of his age, but it is premature to tag him as the best or to compare him with the greats like Sir Vivien or Javed Miandad. They were a class apart and showed consistency and influence on games for a much longer time. We just wish Yousuf all the luck in his quest for greatness which is defintely not far away if he maintains the consistency he is showing at the moment for a longer time.

Rightly said Mr. Kamran. I would agree to the point mentioned above regarding the "influence factor". Javed was one man who was the King of influence in Pakistan cricket. Yousuf though is still far away but has proven that he has got the potential and the desire to be there. He may not be a tactical genious like Javed, neither is Inzi but he knows how to craft a masterpiece in difficult situations. He has slowly but surely taken the mental from Inzi and is ready to lead Pakistan along with Younis Khan. The only thing remains to be seen is whether he would be able to handle the pitches in SA or not. I personally liked the way he demanded for difficult pitches during this series. If Pakistan doesn't produce different pitches then their batsmen will alway struggle outside Pakistan and Yousuf knows that fact for sure. I hope Yousuf gets the record and get it in style with yet another century.

lets all do a little dua for Yousuf Sahib. Ameen.

All the best wishes for Muhammad Yousaf, May Allah help him to break the legendary record of Sir. Viv Richards. He is a proud asset of Pakistan Cricket.

We should not be biased while deciding between two personalities. The comparison between JM & MY is not right, I am not saying that MY is better than JM but he is not less than JM. I donot know how you forget semi final of world cup 88 while giving example of 92. JM was playing for himself and there are so many examples during his career. My is a noble person and always play for the team.

Disagree massively with you kamran in this. You are extraordinarily over reating Javed Miandad & Massively under rating Yousuf

Yup! really Mohammad Yousaf is really a top class batsman, international cricket ever produced.
specially the sredit goes 2 pakistan cricket board those r promoting such kind of players.
Though Vivin Richards was also a classic batsman.

Now as we al know, Yousaf is going 2 crack the record. But I think that Yousaf has the full credit to break out this 1710 runs in a particular year.
My all wishes r wid Yousaf, not as a pakistani, just as a person who follows the cricket, specially international cricket.

Thatz all!!

C ya after his awesum innings, however I have the rights to xpect more from him :)
Cheerz

TCz

By!

Well done and rightly said. Even then, please join me in prayer for MY that he makes the distinctive record his own, today, with the one and only chance that he has now.May Allah Subahanhu Taala grant him the glory for the humility he has shown. Ameen

Well, this article is influenced by someone who wrote the book on JM. Basically sport is about personality also. JM created trouble on cricket ground, Viv Richard was a rude, arrogant person with drinking problem. MoYo record, average and elegance is better then both of them as he is the only artist who paints his shots like on canvas rather then brutal cross batted done by Viv R. ather then

Dear Kamran you have chosen an interesting topic once again.As much as it's tempting to compare and contrast batsmen of different era and even
same period,probably as complicated and difficult it is.I think we can compare between Inzy and JM but Yousuf as you rightly mentioned is still growing.I firmly believe that he will be regarded as one of the greatest batsmen the game has produced but he is still touch short of that highest ground.While comparing batsmen we need to look at few characteristics.First of all,I believe is the personality which is like a mould that shapes ones performances.Then are the qualities of Grafting,Technique against seam,spin,swing etc,Adaptibility to different surfaces and conditions,Mental strength,and the particular opposition.Our batsmen are always at disadvantage because they hardly play on bouncy pitches so when we find someone who can play better in Australia or South Africa,It's always sheer talent.If we evaluate JM and Inzy against those characteristics, I think Miandad will surely come on top.Yousuf has proved himself beyond any doubts as the heir to the throne titled'Best Pakistani batsman' but he has yet to join that elite company of Lara,Tendulkar,Ponting Injy and Dravid.One thing that I do want to mention is regarding the title of lazy elegance.I rate Yousuf as one of the most stylish bastmen of his age.He has given performances probably second only to Inzy in the current Pakistani batting lineup.I don't know who coined this term and I notice even you have used it quite generously.I find it a little harsh and unjustified for a player who has given so many performances for his country.He has worked tremendously hard for his rightly deserved record of most centuries in a calendar year and has drawn people to compare him with the great Viv Richards and Uncomparable Miandad.Come on guys give him his due.

Hi Kamran,

It would be wrong yet to compare M. Yousuf to any of the former greats because he isn't yet through with his career.

And as for comparing him with the best of this generation, then I believe that the best Pakistani batsman at the moment who can stand up against the likes of Lara, Sachin, Dravid and Ponting is M. Yousuf. I think Yousuf always had one of the best and most elegent technique in the current cricket world. He just lacked that hunger, passion and calm that he now posses.

People say, a great batsmen is judged against the best team of the era and where currently Inzi has failed... Yousuf has done reasonably well.... He has scored against the Aussies and Australia (The best bowling attack in the world), He has scored against England in England and in Pakistan (The second best bowling attack in the world) and the only team he lacks runs against is South Africa although he will soon have his oppertunity against them aswell.

Yousuf posses all the right ingredients to be among the best of this era, lets hope he can continue this unbelievable form truly reach the potential and respect he rightfully deserves!

Oh and I think that Yousuf should have batted at number three in the second innings, that would have given him extra time, less pressure and the conditions would have been a little easier then coming in later. Younis should have come in at 4 and let Yousuf have a chance against the record.... am hoping he won't not only break the record but also score another century to make it 9 for the year!!!

Good Luck Yousuf, All of Pakistan is behind you!!

I totally agree with K.Abbassi. M.Yousuf (MoYo) deserves this record. But I want to add here that MY can now easily fit into the League of todays great players as Inzy, Ponting and Lara. Tendulkar is different in terms of Test. But really Mohd Yousuf should break Sir Viv's Record today.

I quite agree with SS but would say that in future MOYO might become the greatest batsman if he continues his form.He still has to come across opportunities JM has had like Sharjah's six and 1992 World Cup's venues.

Its nice to know there is someone taking some note about the phenomenal record that is at stakes concerning Mr Mo Yo. Is it because the Ashes are on or because its a batsman who doesnt bring attention to himself? What would the Hooplah be if Mo Yo played for another country? I find the lack of hype very disrespectful. It would be hard to find as much statistical expectation hanging on one innings as this... Perhaps The Dons last innings is the ultimate in everlasting legacy: Only 4 runs to attain an immortal average. Now Mo Yo has the chance to head to the top of another leaderboard in crickets benchmarks.

Like The Don, this is one achievement which is not attained with one big shot, nor one big innings, but with the physical, mental and spiritual application sustained at the highest levels over and over and over again...

To have never seen Richards play is a shame, but this record stood out and punctuated the awe of the man. For Mo Yo to even come within a whisker, a mere 47 runs of the Great Man, is in itself an achievement that deserves more recognition... even if the man, Mo Yo, doesnt seek it.

I hope he makes it, but in so doing, whether he makes sajda or not, simply scratches his guard again and takes focus on the next ball, poised in perpetual poetry... the formula he has used to take the Master Blasters spot as the Greatest Calender Year in Test History

Mr. Yousaf is a brillant player; he is a team man; Partial credit for his success goes to Inzi also - Inzi has instilled the sense of ownership within the team; We all wish him well and lets pray that what ever records he achieves are for his and countries betterment.

Kamran, you are spot on about the comparison between JM and Mo Yo (I like this). Bit similar to No Ko (North Korea) as it is mentioned here in Australia’s media. I still remember the day when JM hit the famous six in Sharja.
My father had sent me to the market to get something and in hurry I had a serious accident of my bicycle with a car. Came back home and quietly sat down in a corner and watched the whole game without mentioning a word about the accident. None of my family members noticed my bruises because they were all glued to the TV. Once we all started celebrating JM’s six my Mom noticed that I was dancing on one leg and my face and arm was badly bruised. Rushed to the hospital and found out couple of fractures in left arm. I would not have missed that innings for anything. Am I glad even to this day that I kept quite for more than an hour just to see JM batting.

I think in recent times Mohd Yousuf single handedly taken the responsibility of Pakistan batting & is playing exceptionally beyond doubt. If a batsman who is so near to break the world record, you cannot doubt about his ability. There must be some thing about his batting skill. Mohd Yousuf deserve the record of making highest runs. He has already broke the record of highest no of centuries in a calendar year.

To me Yusuf is the best batsman Pakistan has ever produced especially when it comees to consistency. Yusuf is one of the most elegant and class batsman, btw Miandad lacked class and elegance. In my books Yusuf scores mores points tan JM, Inzy, Zaheer, Hanif et al.

I do wish that Maulana Mohd Yousaf will break VR's record. Even if he didn't he will write make a record of his own sort in the coming years, which will be rather MOYO special than VR special.

I respect your comments sir, definitely these are based on reality. I never seen Javed Miandad playing, but I heard a lot about his genius. He was simply great. But while comparing MY with JM, you forget to take consideration to one thing, and that is elegance, style, and beauty. As Sanjay Manjerkar describes MY cover drive as the most delicious shot to watch. It gives so much pleasure to watch MY bat. So neat and clean. Where as, I think JM (with all the respect) was not as good looking batsman as MY is. Most of the runs of JM were behind the square on third man or fine leg (seen videos of his 1992 WC batting), where as MY plays equally good, behind, cover, leg and straight.

May Allah bless you all . and we pray for MOYO.

Muhammad Yousuf is a gerat player as well as a great human being.Javeed Miandad was probably the greatest Pakistani batsman ever.Its unfair to compare them.May Allah bless Muhammad Yousuf with this record because he really deserves it.Its refreshing to have humble players like him in this age of Shoaib Akhtars & Shane Warnes.He behaves as good humans should behave.He reminds me of an age which has now gone.May Allah bless him with success.

BRilliant, he is a silent killer for the opposition.

Just for pure elegance, I would rate Mo Yo higher than Inzy or JM( Was very effective not very elegant). Yousef is clearly the best bastsman to watch in the Pak team.

You article seems cool but we must keep one thing in our mind that every person has its own importance and no one can the authenticity of M.Y. and J.M. too.But very sorry to say Mr.Kamaran you are not very true in about the class which M.Y. has been shown throughout his career and he is still displaying.I do believe J.M. is one of the master batsmen in the history of cricket world but M.Y. has his own place and time is not very far away when this contented person will leave J.M. very behind INSHALLAH.I mean to say we must encourage our players rather then to criticize them or degrading them while comparing with other players.The performance of M.Y. in this year is very extraordinary and he will INSHAALLAH break the record of most runs in an year.As you know he has already broken the record of most centuries in an year.I want to say a lot but having very short time I must leave now.

Being critical of cricket's slavish devotion to (often) meaningless statistics is quite a dangerous stance to take, but here I go anyway.

Athletes achieve greatness when they display performances that can stand the test of time. Every great cricketer in the history of this sport has at least one signature performance that will forever be talked about. There is the scoring-a-lot-of-runs or taking-a-lot-wickets and then there is the performance that is so sublime in its nature that it demands immortality. Richards' bludgeoning of England in 1976 (and the entailing reversal of the groveling role), Imran's 40 wickets on the sunbaked Pakistani pitches in the 1982 series against India, Gavaskar's heroics against the all-conquering West Indies and the magic that Wanre spun in his first Ashes series are all examples of performances that touched a higher scale. It was not just the number of runs that he scored but the pure "Richards-ness" of those runs that will forever be etched in the memories of cricket lovers. I could go on but I'll but short ...

Yousuf has no such performance to date. I don't believe kids in Australia or NZ talk abut that one Yousuf knock that took their breath away but I bet they have heard plenty about the imp called Miandad. They probably read somewhere that Miandad revolutionized Pakistan cricket in many ways and cricket is better for it, that he hit that famous six to win an ODI tournament when the paucity and sporadicness of ODI's meant that trophies meant exactly what the dictionary says and that JM carried the load of a vastly inexperienced batting lineup during the World Cup 92 and led Pakistan to victory.

Point being: any comparisons between Yousuf and Miandad are premature. Maybe the 2003 WC will provide Yousuf with the stage where he can orchestrate a performance or two that leverages him into the next level. Pakistan fans will certainly hope so.

You cannot match two players of different era.I have full regards for all three great batsman, JM, MY, and Inzy. They are great heros,and thier names will always be remember.
But personaly i have a great regards of Mohammed Yousif of his kind attitude and the way he proved that cricket and religion can go easily together.
May Allah Bless you lot MY.

When I saw MoYo batting for the first time on his debu,I immidiately recognised the fact that we have got a class batsman in making.His elegance was evident from the very begining of his career.But his inconsistency and laziness kept him away from the lime light and still inspite of pwrforming at the best,he is not considered to be in the elite class.Well,in my openion he is much more elegent and stylish than ponting,tendulkar and kallis.As far as the match winning perfomances are concerned Tendulkar is the worst amongst all but he is still considered in elite class.Comparing MOYO with JM is not fair or to set JM as a standard to judge any players class is also not fair.JM is the greatest cricketer Pakistan has produced, and MOYO is one of the greatest and the most stylish and elegant batsman Pakistan has produced.I wish MOYO will break the record of the guru of world cricket and will prove that he is amongst the elite of his time.( I love the nick name MOYO) I am already hearing the crowd shouting MOYO,MOYO,MOYO.GOOD LUCK.

Also, I think the whole idea of crowning anyone with the most-runs-in-a-calendar-year is weird, almost perverted. Cricket doesn't have standardized seasons so let's change it to most-runs-in-a-365-day-span record. After all, teams have played as many as 17 tests in recent calendar years, compard to playing just 8 in the immediately preceding or following year. This calendar year thing, I tell you, is really not a good measure of cricket time.

Yousaf is a good player, but I think he is no enough good like Inzmam or Miandad.

Certainly, a calm & cool Mohammad Yousaf is on the brink to write yet another history. Just to mention, he broke the record for most centuries in a calender year, has scored centuries in his lsat five consistant tests and has scored centuries 6 times in his last 8 innings. This is something remarkable for a player of his class. He is such a treat to watch. My wishes are with him. May Allah Almighty bless him.

Eventhough we cant compare the batsmen of different era, i think MY is one step above JM.JM played during that time when not much technical importance was given for fielding(so that the batsmen used to get a lot more "lives" than the current time. then why JM's innings are much popular- one simple answer is we play a lot of cricket now, so we only have short term memmory.
According to me MY is more elegant, quiet and quite a performer than JM.all the best for him

Yousaf is near to be a Great player, not now a great player. So far lake of confidence in him but being a pakistani we should proud that Yousaf is pakistani and asian.

I feel MY is better batsman than JM.Humility is way ahead of Arrogance.

M.Yousuf is no doubt a special batsmen, I have never seen anyone bat with such elegance, he is the most stylish batsmen in the business, but Sir Viv was second to none, he is a legend, will always be a legend, comparing Yousuf to him is not right.

I must add one more thing though, records are meant to be broken, it doesn't matter how you break them as long as you follow the rules. Holding debates on which batsmen is better is just pointless, if Yousuf breaks the record tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, he will do so deservingly, it won't matter how many catches of his got dropped, the bottom line will be that he will go down in the history as the man who broke Sir Vivian Richards record...

I don't think you can compare Mohd. Yousaf to Javed Miandad. Miandad was a multi-dimensional cricketer who inspired the nation to pick up a bat, he was an intimidating sight walking out in the middle swinging his bat. The crowd may cheer or jeer it made no difference to him, he could take apart any bowling attack in the world and he knew it. I don't think we can say the same for Moh. Yousaf much less any modern batsman we've produced. Yousaf may be having the year of his life but we know he's not comfortable on tracks that offer bowlers assistance his persistance at gliding the ball down to third man often gets the better of him. Javed was an enigma he talked as much as he batted, mocked the bowler and the opposition. I don't think any one dared to trash talk or sledge him as he tended to soak it all up and produce a master piece and to top it all of he knew how to pace and innings and polish off the match.

Javed was a fighter don't think I can say that for our present crop of boys, he was hungry with fire in his belly he did whatever was needed to win and never backed down. He invented the art of running between the wickets and played the bulk of his innings in an era without fielding restrictions. Why do people forget that cricket was one played without the fielding restrictions or power plays we are so used to seeing now. I remember when a score of 200 was thought of as a difficult target to chase down in the present era a score of 200 is though of as a short day at the office a mere formality for the chasing team. Miandad played in an era when it was significantly more difficult to score as freely as modern cricketers to and that's why he has to be ranked above Inzi or Yousaf he got the bulk of his runs when the field was spread from the first ball and didn't have the luxury of exploiting those empty ropes

I would like to add that for quite sometime, JM was the only world class batter in the team. He alone shouldered the responsibility of the whole batting line-up for a considerable period in his career. Inzi and MY had likes of Aamir Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Ejaz Ahmed, Ramiz Raja, saleem Malik, Younis Khan etc for their support. JM was the numero uno in the Pak batting line-up for most of his carrer and never wilted under pressure. MY, on the contrary has just become the no. 1 batter in the team, after more than 8 yrs in test cricket and and well into thirties. Same is true with Inzi. For most of the ninties, Pakistan had the best bowling attack in the world, which pakistani batsmen of ninties did'nt face. JM faced and scored against the most ferocious attacks ever in the world. Further, despite scoring heavily MY is still not the No.1 batsman in the world.

It is not a good idea to compare MoYO with all time greats like JM and Viv. It is taking taking away the moment of joy that we are having following the piece of history being written by the bat of MOYO. I like this new star that has given respect to Pakistani batting since Zaheer-Miandad-Inzimam in the middile. I wish him luck for those most needed 46 runs. His true Islamic humility is beyond comparison.

I agree with the writer. In fact we should keep in mind that Kamran did not initiate this debate. In fact this was done by Inzi in his column and than Yousaf also responded to that. So this blog is in response to all those comments.
Of course, Yousaf is a very very talented batsman and every Pakistani wants MY to break this record.
But you must look at the comments that were made about Yousaf before the start of the home series against England (2005) .People thought he is will not be able to take up the responsibility after Inzi. No one talked about yousaf because Ponting, Inzi and Kallis were scoring heavily at that time. So let us wait for couple more seasons. We cannot say anything on the basis of just one season. Lets pray for his record.

First of all I want to say please write Muhammad Yousuf instead of MOYO.. both Muhammad & Yousuf are names of our prophets.. Please dont make them short.. Secondly Mr. Kamran Abbasi Muhammad Yousuf is currently in the league of modern masters like Inzamam, Dravid, Lara & Ponting.. He is averaging 56 or 58 maybe in around 75 matches.. He is the most perfect cover driver I have evern seen and most of the cricket genius have already admitted that.. And about the greatness of Yousuf I believe he is still under Viv Richards or Inzamam.. Once Imran Khan said about Inzamam that "Wow he is playing similar to Viv.. I think we have got a new VIV" Imran said these words on the day of Inzamam's selection. Now lets talk about the record.. The record will show the consistency of Muhammad Yousuf this year.. Whether he breaks the record of VIV for most runs or not he has already broken the record of 8 centuries and furthermore he has made 35% of total runs scored in tests by Pakistan this year.. No other player in history has dont this.. No matter what will happen Muhammad Yousuf you are our National hero and so International Hero of Cricket.. May Allah give you all the success and hope you will break all records.. Pray of whole nation is with you InshAllah you will do it..

I wonder what would everyone say if Yousef converted his 190's into 200's. the fact is after Javid's retirement he and Inzy are only two genuine batsmen Pakistan have produced who we can rely on. Records are made and records are broken, Yousef has proved time after time that he is something special.

I still don't think Yousuf is in the same league as Ponting,Lara,Kallis,Dravid,Tendulkar,Inzamam just for the simple fact he hasn't performed at all in tests against the south africans.But he is probably the only batsman after Inzamam by far who makes batting look really easy and also he's also classier than some of the names above.

Yousuf has delivered some breathtaking ODI innings but he still has to prove as a test match-winner(which is why Lara/Ponting is better than Tendulkar) and then we could think of comparing him with the former greats like Javed Miandad.I don't really care if yousuf breaks the record or not because this guy is one of a kind and there won't be any other in the future like him.What I hope for him is to score in South Africa and show the critics that he is invincible in any pitch in the world.He just needs to score some centuries the way he did in the 2nd test at Melbourne during the last Australian Tour.

Stats, elegance, Flair... etc
To me the factor that could seperate batsmen on a cricketing field is the ability to single handedly change the course of the match.

In that respect, of all the batters we've had JM had no match. the list goes on and on with his credentials.. Inzy too has done it on numerous ocassions but however elegant and quality palyer MY is, still hasnt reached that stage.

Somebody gave 6 reason here in favour of MY...
one of them surely deserves a reply...

JM batted in an era of bowlers who were outright genius.. Forget others.. Can U compare what WI had in 80-90's to what they have now....
add to it the indian spinners.. australian pack attack.. it was awesome all the way...

Still lets all hope YOUsaf gets it on wednesday... for this mite not take him to that extra special level where VIV and JM graced the field once.
but atleast pakist WC 2007 hopes will bloster with him in fine form and his 'lofty elegance'.

Mohammad Yousuf needs to prove himself in Australia and South Africa to be even compared with Dravid.

as time passes we have only one thing to remind us about the past and that is numbers. why is bradman rated so highly its been a long time since his generation played but we all know 99.9!

I think an obvious point has been missed throughout this analysis, the segregation of two distinct eras in Yousuf's batting, pre-conversion and post-conversion. And though pre-conversion was no short of class, post-conversion sublimation into simply a different league is remarkable to say the least! Mohammad Yousuf might not be as gifted as JM, Lara, Tendulkar, or Viv, but on this current form he easily makes up for that through perseverence, patience and above all, Belief!! He might not be able to conquer as many milestones as other greats, nor be a stats king given the paucity of career time left, but he sure does one thing better than them all, and that's conquering the hearts of cricket lovers, both fans and otherwise! Only one name comes to my mind who did something like this in this gentlemen's game, and that's Sir Don Bradman!:).I would go as far as saying that the legend himself might come second when it comes to this art!! The LAZILY ELEGANT is conquering at warp speed,and admiration for virtues could be a part of stats used to benchmark batsmen, Mohammad Yousuf would be surpassing them ALL in about two years' time! Behold all! Yousuf continues to strike gold both with and without the bat in his hands!:)

well, i think best ever batsman Pakistan has ever produced is JM,the way Mo Yo lacks is his performances against SA,SL and AUS. i think in order to get to the level of JM he should perform well enough against these teams in their hometown. He is getting the chance of performing against SA in SA in his better form, HE should do it there.
GOOD LUCK TO YOUSAF

MY not a match winner!! can anybody tell me after winning how many match he will be called a match winner. we are blessed by a lot of talents by god but never honored them properly. and that is the sole reason we never touched the greatness, team australia or west indies achieved. just look at our neighbor. how they promote their cricketer. middle class cricketer like laxman, dash gupta, kuruvilla, power were being promoted by the media. they compare sehwag with tendulkar (!!!!!!!). because it give you the mental boost to perform better. no doubt javed miandad, viv richards, gavasker are great players of all time. but i personally give a lot more weight to the performance of the recent players. because cricket is lot more competititve now and it bears lot more pressure than that time. now a days a lot of outside pitch matters are involved in the game. so breaking 1700 runs barrier now is really an achievment to be proud for. try to establish it worldwide rather than undermining it. if some people can say that sehwag is better than tendulkar........we can atleast say that MY is in the same league with JM

For me currently the best batsman is Yousuf. He is only 31 or so, by the end he will be up there with Richards and JM. He will be on the greatest ever for Pakistan, and one of the greatest in this generation. If God Wills.

Mohammad Yosuaf made me think the effect of religion in your lives too, Hope he might make one more century in SA, so Mr. Abbasi will write his blog regarding comparing Breadman and Mohammad Yousaf too. Hehe :D.

You may say that, yet don't forget that JM was a showman and MY is very humble one. Allah will help him to achieve that landmark!

Please let him stay MOHAMMED YOUSUF instead of MOYO.... as far as his batting ability is concerned,he still has to prove himself OR he needs one or two seasons like 2006 but I WONDER WHY I FEEL PROUD WHEN I SEE HIM ON THE SCREEN >>

hello & Salam aap Ne ball by ball khalna hai our 47 Run bayanee hein yeh record Pakistan ke Naam Karna hai our aap yeh kar saktee ho Bai hum ki dua app ke sath hein or hum chatee hein ke pori Sprit ke sath khalee ok bye
Allah Hafiz

Hello, to everybody and what i likes to say is only that if mohamad yousef break
Sir Iva richarson then he deserved tobe calld as Sir Mohamad yousef as wel.
Thanksssss

One cannot deny JM's importance and greatness but than one has to use sense in comparisons as well. JM is a player who has played his shot he is retired so he has done what he has done. MY has still 5 more years to his career , the MY is going he might end up way higher than JM EVENTUALLY.
JM had an extremely poor record overseas till the last few years of his career. His high points would be series against NZ, India and England. He doesnot enjoy a particularly high average abroad compared with his phenomenal home averages. MY on the other hand has scored his runs all over the world with no particular weak points.

JM along with Z Abbas was the best player of Spin Bowling ever but the same cannot be said when it comes to fast bowling. MY on the other hand is a great player of fast bowling.

Having said that It is not possible to draw comparisons between the two , since cricket has totally changed faces over the last decade or so.

JM has always been my hero and will remain so but MY is the man who deserves honour and praise of the same magnitude as any body else.

Salman

I just think that had any other batsman scored this many runs in a year, the world would have been on fire. Example, had Tendulkar done it, take my word for it, it would have been all over Zee TV, Sony TV, B4U Music and what have you.

Whether he breaks the record remains to be seen. In any case, it is already an achievement by any standards and the man needs to be praised and showered with accolades.

Its a shame that the only coverage Muhammad Yousaf's run spree seems to be getting is on this blog and many people are actually putting him down. Shame on them!!!

Salutations to him for his humility.

Applause applause for Muhammad Yousaf.