Record performance in 2006 was a reward from The Almighty for conversion to Islam: Mohammad Yousuf

Mohammad Yousuf scored a record 1778 runs in 2006 which included 9 centuries. 

Among the many prolific run-scorers who have represented Pakistan, former middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf is one who was known for his consistency and elegant batting style.  Yousuf took his batting to the next level in the year 2006 – where he amassed 1788 runs in 11 Tests, including nine hundreds. 

In the process, Yousuf also broke legendary Windies batsman Vivian Richards' 30-year-old record of the most Test runs scored by a batsman in a calendar year. In a recent interview with Wisden, the 46-year-old recalled the time and said it was a reward given to him from The Almighty for conversion to Islam.

Yousuf clarified that while he wasn’t forced to convert to Islam, he was very close to former Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar and his life had impacted him after which he turned to Islam.

“I wasn’t forced to convert to Islam as some have alleged and tried to suggest. The reality is that I was very close to Saeed Anwar. We were great friends on and off the field and had played a lot of cricket together in our teenage years. I spent so much time with Saeed that his parents regarded me as their own son. When I was at their house, I could see the sort of peaceful and disciplined life his parents led and that really intrigued me,” Yousuf was quoted as saying by PakPassion.net.

“I had observed Saeed Anwar’s life before he became religious and how that changed when Saeed had the personal tragedy of the death of his daughter. Saeed turning to religion was an inspiration and the turning point for me that lead to my conversion to Islam,” said Yousuf.

Recalling his performance in 2006 – which is the highlight of his career, Yousuf said that while he did nothing different in terms of training, it was a reward to him from The Almighty after he converted to Islam towards the end of 2005.

“I did nothing different when it came to training or practice in 2006. Towards the end of 2005, I had converted to Islam and had read Islamic prayers for the first time. I then grew a beard and I felt at peace with myself, very calm and mentally ready for any challenge that came my way.

I have always felt that my brilliant performance in 2006 was a reward from The Almighty after my conversion to Islam. I had never even dreamt that I would break Sir Vivian Richards’ record that year, but because I was at peace with myself and my surroundings, mentally I was at the top of my game and I felt that nothing could stop me or come in my way,” he added.

Yousuf represented Pakistan in 3 T20Is, 90 Tests and 288 ODIs where he scored 50, 7530 and 9720 runs respectively. He played his last international match for Pakistan on September 7, 2010 which was a T20 international match against England.