Reckoning it could well be his last tour of the region, senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf is keen to score heavily to enhance his stature when Pakistan tour New Zealand and Australia later this year.
"I'm 35 and have had a long career and this might be my last tour to New Zealand and Australia. So I'm keen to make a lot of runs against them this time," Yousuf said.
Yousuf has been named in both the Test and One-day squads that would first play an ODI series in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and then tour New Zealand for three Test matches.
Pakistan team will then fly out to Australia from New Zealand in mid-December to play three Tests and five One-day Internationals.
"It is a challenging time ahead of me because I know if I score lots of runs it would have a positive effect on the team.
"My main regret during my long career is that we were not able to win a Test series in Australia although I even captained the team there in one Test when Inzamam-ul-Haq was injured," Yousuf said.
Yousuf averages 33 in six Tests in Australia and against New Zealand he averages a staggering 69 in five Tests. Yousuf is at present Pakistan's senior most player with 82 Test appearances in which he has a batting average of 54.
Yousuf said it was always a challenge to do well in Australia as they were the best team in the world.
"But it is not easy even in New Zealand conditions where the ball seams around a lot and the cold weather is a challenge as well," he said.
Yousuf, who made a comeback to the team this year after quitting the Indian Cricket League, said he was definitely looking to playing in the 2011 World Cup but had realised long time ago that one must plan from series to series, instead of looking too far ahead.
"It is all in God's hand. One does not know where one will be the next day so now focus on the next series, which is in New Zealand and Australia.
"I definitely want to play in the next World Cup but that will only happen if I remain fit and keep scoring runs," Yousuf said.
