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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that Mohammad Yousuf is to captain Pakistan when they tour New Zealand to play three Tests.
Regular captain Younus Khan, who led his side to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy, has requested a break following the 2-1 One-Day International series defeat to New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and the PCB also confirmed that wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal will act as vice-captain for the tour.
"Yes, Younus has asked for a rest so we have appointed Yousuf as captain for the three-Test tour," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told AFP in a report posted to the board's official website (www.pcboard.com.pk).
"It has nothing to do with the defeat against New Zealand," he added.
Pakistan lost the final match by seven runs. Younus offered his resignation as captain earlier this year following claims that his side had deliberately underperformed before the PCB rejected the resignation and affirmed that he would, fitness permitting, continue in the job until the 2011 World Cup.
Media reports this week have suggested that he has lost the dressing room and that he is barely on speaking terms with some of his players and the decision to rotate in-form batsmen Yousuf, Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik has come in for some criticism in Pakistan.
The promotion to the captaincy of Yousuf comes a little over a year after he signed for the Indian Cricket League before being allowed back into the side after severing his ties with the unofficial league.
Pakistan leave for their three-match Test series on Sunday 15th November and they will play a tour match beginning on 18th November before the Test series begins on 24th November in Dunedin before moving to Wellington (3rd-7th December) and Napier (11th-15th December).
From there, Pakistan travel to Australia for three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 International. It is not immediately clear if Younus plans to return to lead the side in Australia or whether Yousuf will continue.
Yousuf has captained Pakistan in four One-Day Internationals and three Test matches in the past, winning his first Test in charge against South Africa in Lahore in Oct 2003. He captained for two of Pakistan's Test matches in Australia in 2004 and 2005, losing both at Melbourne and Sydney.
Mohammad Yousuf's record as a Test captain (played 3, won 1, lost 2):
| Matches | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 50 | 100 |
| 3 | 5 | 0 | 169 | 111 | 33.80 | 0 | 1 |
| Balls | Mdns | Runs | Wkts | BB | Ave | Ct | St |
| did not bowl | 3 | 0 | |||||
© Cricket World 2009
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