Yousuf rewarded by Wisden for last year performance

London, Mar 28 (UNI) After all the ghosts that haunted the Pakistan cricket team in the Caribbeans, it seems that star batsman Mohammad Yousuf's inclusion in the elite list of Wisden's five cricketers of the year 2006 comes as a consolation for the 'beleagured' team.

The British cricket magazine 'Wisden' yesterday announced the names of five best cricketers of the world based on the their performances during the calendar year 2006.

Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan has been included in the 'coveted' list along with Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka, Paul Collingwood, Monty Panesar and Mark Ramparkash, all from England.

Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka has been declared the leading cricketer of the year 2006.

The 32-year-old Pakistani batsman, who has till date scored 6553 Test and 7908 ODI runs, was the most prolific scorer during the calendar year of 2006. His 1,788 runs at an outstanding average of 99.33 with nine hundreds during the year, saw him set a new world record.

UNI