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Youhana for central contract system
Yousuf Youhana has appealed to the Pakistan Cricket Board to introduce a central contract system for national players to control their injury problems.
Pakistan's vice-captain Yousuf Youhana has appealed to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to introduce a central contract system for national players to control their injury problems.
"We are still waiting for the Board to do something about it although we have had discussions with them on it in the recent past," he said.
The recent spate of injuries faced by some of senior Pakistan players was the direct result of excessive cricket, The News quoted Youhana as saying on Sunday.
"We have been playing virtually non-stop international matches for last six months and we still have another 20 odd One-day Internationals and a full tour of Australia this year. The hectic travelling schedule and little rest period between the matches does catch up on the players, specially the bowlers," he maintained.
He added that the best way to protect the players from an early burn out due to injuries was for the Board to introduce a central contract system for a pool of 20 to 25 players on an annual basis.
In the absence of such a system, the players would always be on the look out for fresh pastures to earn more money. "I am not in favour of allowing the bowlers to go and play in county cricket because it means an extra workload for them in the year. But because of the money, they have to go. I would also go if offered a contract by any county in England," he stated.
Calling India a strong batting side, Youhana said that their line-up was strong and formidable because all of them batted very responsibly according to the situation and put a big value on their wickets.
"In Multan when Sehwag was batting well even someone like Sachin Tendulkar just kept blocking at one end and allowed him to do the scoring. At the same time, he guided him through his innings. In our team also we need to show similar responsibility and cricket sense," he added.
