May 02, 2008	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 25, 1429

MANCHESTER, May 1: Pakistan’s prolific batsman Mohammad Yousuf has agreed a deal to join Lancashire as the English cricket county side’s registered overseas player.

The 33-year-old Yousuf will be a stand-in at Old Trafford for Australian Brad Hodge, who is on duty for the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Kolkata Knight Riders as a replacement for his international captain Ricky Ponting.

Ponting returned to Australia in order to begin preparations for upcoming tour of the West Indies, prompting a late bid from Knight Riders franchise to sign Hodge.

Lancashire cricket manager Mike Watkinson said: “The decision to allow Brad to compete in the IPL happened quite suddenly and, as I said at the time, the club would only replace him if a top-quality player was available.

“We are delighted to have captured one of the world’s leading batsmen and look forward to him making an immediate impact for the county.”

Yousuf was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2007 and is one of Pakistan’s most experienced internationals, having played 79 Tests and 261 one-day matches.

The right-handed elegant batsman rewrote history books in 2006 when he amassed 1788 runs in Tests to become the highest scorer in a calendar year, surpassing former Wets Indies batting wizard Sir Vivian Richards (1710).

On the decision to join Lancashire, Yousuf commented: “I’ve always wanted to play county cricket, and to get the opportunity with a club as big as Lancashire is fantastic.

“Old Trafford is somewhere I’ve enjoyed playing at during my international career. I’m determined to make significant contribution to Lancashire’s season.”—Agencies