Mohammad Yousuf retained as Pakistan captain for Australia tour

Mohammad Yousuf has been retained as Pakistan captain for the test and one-day international series in Australia starting this month.

Yousuf will lead the side after regular captain Younus Khan made himself unavailable for the tour which includes three tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches.

"Younus didn't make himself available for the tour so we have not considered him. As it is he has not played any domestic cricket as well to prove his form," chief selector Iqbal Qasim told Reuters on Tuesday.

Younus pulled out of the test tour of New Zealand last month after his team lost a one-day series to the Kiwis in Abu Dhabi, citing his poor form with the bat. Yousuf led the side in his absence.

"Yousuf will be captain for the tests and ODIs in Australia while Shahid Afridi will captain the side in the T20 internationals and be the vice-captain for the ODIs," the PCB said in a statement.

The selectors have dropped reserve wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed and Yasir Arafat for the Australia tour.

Pakistan test squad: Mohammad Yousuf (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Salman Butt, Khurrum Manzoor, Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Faisal Iqbal, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Fawad Alam, Abdul Rauf, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Danish Kaneria.