Cricket: Christmas at the crease for sole Pakistani Christian

By RICHARD BOOCK


If Yousuf Youhana's dreams were to come true, his Christmas stocking would be crammed with goodwill to all men, a couple of chanceless centuries and everlasting success for the Pakistan side.

The man who ground New Zealand into the Jade Stadium dust three summers ago while posting his first test double century is a rarity in the Pakistan side, in that he is the only Christian in a Muslim-dominated dressing room.

This earns Youhana special treatment at Christmas.

If he plays in one of three Boxing Day tests around the world, his team-mates often join the celebrations and members of the local community welcome him into their homes.

Pakistan cricket's most famous Catholic was on duty during Yuletide festivities last year in Durban, where he was unable to save his side from a 10-wicket defeat.

"All the players are very good to me and say 'Merry Christmas' and things like that," Youhana said this week.

"Some send me cards and some take me out for a meal. Last time Rashid Latif and Younis Khan took me out to dinner.

"They enjoy the day with me and that's nice because Christmas is all about being with your friends and family."

Youhana is touring New Zealand with wife Tania and daughter Aniqa, and concedes that, while he appreciates the architecture of churches and their history, he is not a regular church-goer and gets to see inside one only about once a month.

"Tania goes to church every Sunday but I'm not quite as good as her," he smiled. "It's nice looking around at the old churches in different countries but I haven't had enough time for that in New Zealand. The schedule's been too hectic."

Not that it hasn't been hectic for some time.

Youhana, 29, is one of Pakistan's most senior players, making his debut back in 1997-98. He hung on for grim death for the next five years, while team-mates were exposed for match-fixing and Pakistan's fortunes fluctuated wildly.

He had a few great moments, such as his back-to-back centuries against the West Indies in 2000, when he defied the feared Ambrose and Walsh combination at both Bridgetown and St Johns, marking his place as an expert player against fast bowling.

"I enjoy fast bowling, it's a real challenge," he said. "I have to face all types of bowling so I really have no great preference but fast bowling is a genuine test for a top-order batsman and it feels good when you succeed against it."

But there were also massive disappointments, such as the injury that ruled him out of the 1999 World Cup final, when he was arguably in the best form of his life and starting to look as though he could take any attack by the scruff of the neck.

A shattered Youhana watched from the dressing room as Australia comprehensively out-gunned the Pakistani batting lineup, bowling the opposition out for 132 and going on to win by eight wickets.

"We'd played good cricket throughout the tournament but lost the final, which was probably the biggest disappointment I've had in the game," he said.

Interestingly, Youhana did not even mention the blow he suffered last year, when he was sensationally sent home from Kenya on charges of insubordination, apparently for failing to obey Waqar Younis' orders at practice.

He was reinstated in the Pakistan side by the recently resigned chairman Tauqir Zia, who decided Waqar had over-reacted.

Youhana prefers to think of the drama as an innocent mistake.

"It wasn't a controversy but rather just a small misunderstanding," he said. "Waqar was a great bowler, with a lot of experience and seniority. He was like an older brother to me. It wasn't a big deal, just a bit of confusion, really."

For all that, the Pakistan side have appeared far more unified and better disciplined on this tour, an improvement possibly attributable to the retirement of several senior players, most of whom carried baggage from previous regimes.

Youhana is excited by young batting dynamos such as Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat and Yasir Hammed, not to mention a clutch of pace bowlers who are emerging as support for Pakistan's twin speedsters Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami.

"There's a very healthy combination in the side now. Taufeeq and Imran each scored their maiden centuries against South Africa in October and Yasir went very close in the opening test against New Zealand, so there is a lot of optimism."

The compact right-hander, who in Inzamam's absence led Pakistan to a historic first test win over South Africa at home, said he had reached the stage now where he was not excited by personal milestones.

"I just want to play good cricket for Pakistan and if they win, I'll be happy.

"Things like 30 test centuries or 10,000 test runs don't motivate me at all. What motivates me is the chance to help Pakistan win.

"That's what I strive for. If the team needs 10 runs to win and I make 10 runs that will be enough for me."

Yousuf Youhana

* Born: Aug 27, 1974, Lahore.

* Test debut: v South Africa, Durban, 1997-98.

* Tests: 47.

* Runs: 3310 at 47.97.

* 100/50: 10/18.

* ODI debut: v Zimbabwe, Harare, 1997-98.

* ODIs: 154.

* Runs: 5328 at 42.96.

* 100/50: 9/34.