BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan captain Salman Butt indicated Mohammad Yousuf would be called upon during the remainder of their series against England after a heavy second Test defeat here at Edgbaston.
England won by nine wickets on the fourth day here on Monday to go an unbeatable 2-0 up in this four-match series.
This victory, which followed hot on the heels of their 354-run series-opening win at Trent Bridge, was all but assured after Pakistan were bowled out for just 72 -- their lowest total against England -- on Friday`s first day.
Once again their novice top order failed to cope with the swinging ball in helpful, overcast conditions as James Anderson, who took a Test match-best 11 for 71 at Trent Bridge, returned figures of four for 20.
Former skipper Yousuf, third in Pakistan`s list of all-time Test run-scorers, was called into the squad following the Trent Bridge defeat having been handed an indefinite ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board after captaining the side on their winless tour of Australia concluded earlier this year.
Yousuf arrived in England less than a day before the second Test started and Butt said it would have been unfair to play him so soon afterwards.
"The last 15 days there has been very heavy rain fall in Lahore and he didn`t have a chance to practise," opening batsman Butt told reporters.
"It would have been difficult to put him in and expect a lot from him."
Yousuf has scored 7,431 runs at 53.07 including 12 hundreds in 88 Tests and against England has an average of 70.
"We hope he gets runs for the side," Butt added ahead of the third Test at The Oval which starts on August 18. "We hope his experience proves invaluable for the team and I hope the youngsters can learn from him."
Butt paid tribute to Zulqarnain Haider, who marked his debut with 88 and shared an eighth-wicket stand of 115 with recalled off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, whose 50 and first innings return of five for 82 were both Test-bests.
"The way the boys played was really good and heartening and it didn`t feel like both were playing their first games (Tests of the tour)."
Butt insisted he`d no regrets about batting first, saying it had been Pakistan`s poor catching, which saw at least 10 chances go down in this match alone after a dire display at Trent Bridge, that had been the key factor.
"Fielding is something we need to work on," Butt said. "Maybe, we need to double the work we have done so far."
Well though wicketkeeper Zulqarnain batted, he proved almost as fallible in the field as the man he replaced, Kamran Akmal, and Butt said: "The guys themselves realise we need 20 wickets to win a Test match and if we drop 14 catches in a Test that makes it harder.
"These 14 include half chances and being professional we need to account for the half-chances."
There is a tendency in Pakistan for players not to take fielding as seriously as either batting or bowling.
"A culture change in one series is virtually impossible," Butt said.
"More than myself it is the individual who needs to understand what has happened and only that will change them.
"Change in the culture can come afterwards, change has to come in the individual first.
"We have a fielding coach -- Ijaz Ahmed -- who was one of the best Pakistan fielders once. He`s doing a good job but we need to work hard ourselves."
BDST: 1323HRS, August 10, 2010
