Srinagar: Former England captain Andrew Strauss Thursday said that Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf became a much better player after converting to Islam.
Strauss said that it helped Yousuf to gain mental stability, which in return sparkled his battling skills.
“Mohammad Yousuf, he was Yousuf Youhana & was averaging 40 in Test cricket. He changed his name, became a devout Muslim and on the back of that, he had this philosophy of ‘God-willing, what will happen will happen’ & had a much different outlook on life” Strauss said in a Podcast for Sky Sports Cricket.
“He had a much different outlook on life and he went from averaging 40 over the space of three years to averaging 70 in Test cricket. And that’s just based on shifting his perspective on life. He was almost trying not to be as much in control of his batting as he was previously. Just kind of accepting that the fate will have something in store for him.
“I think that was a really good illustration for me that sometimes you just have to let it all go. If I was working with a young player, this would be the philosophy I would try to embed in them.”