KARACHI, Nov 7: Intikhab Alam, the new Pakistan coach, said the absence of senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf should be looked at positively as his team prepares for next week’s one-day series against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi.

Talking to reporters during Pakistan squad’s short training camp here at the National Stadium, Intikhab said although Yousuf joining the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) was unfortunate, it shouldn’t be taken with a negative frame of mind.

“To my mind I don’t think any player is bigger than the game. We do feel sad about this decision taken by him [Yousuf]. But whoever now takes his place should consider this as an opportunity,” Intikhab, who has succeeded Geoff Lawson as coach after the former Australian paceman was sacked last month, said.

“If you look around you’ll notice how [leg-spinner] Amit Mishra came in because Anil Kumble got injured. This is what cricket is. We’ll obviously feel the absence of Yousuf in Test cricket, but maybe not that much in the one-dayers.

“We are now focusing our attention to build back-up strength and that should not be a major problem,” he added.

Yousuf was named in the 15-man squad on Monday, but within hours after the squad was announced, news about his rejoining the ICL came as bombshell.

Intikhab minced no words in saying the way Yousuf let down Pakistan cricket was disgusting.“After all, he went [to India] without informing anybody which wasn’t the right thing to do,” the former Test captain complained. “I didn’t get an opportunity to speak to him regarding his comments in which he criticised the cricket board management.”

Shoaib Malik also questioned Yousuf’s claims in which the seasoned batsman has blamed the Pakistan captain as the reason for defecting to the ICL.

“I totally disagree with Yousuf’s remarks. I have played a lot with him and Inzamam-ul-Haq as well as other senior players. They have been very supportive because as a junior I gave them the respect they deserved. In fact, I’ve learnt a lot from these great players from the start of my international career,” the Pakistan skipper told reporters.

“There was no communication gap as Yousuf claims. I never got the impression that he was upset. He didn’t play for Punjab in the Pentangular Cup because we were told his wife was ill,” Malik added.

Intikhab, meanwhile, reiterated that supporters of Pakistan cricket should not expect miracles and urged them to be patient.

“I know that we have been struggling in the ICC rankings [Pakistan are currently sixth in the ODI table]. But miracles do not happen overnight. We need time to settle down because to build a good team it requires a lot of efforts to get the combination functioning smoothly,” the coach expressed.

“The Abu Dhabi series, thus, gives us an ideal chance to prepare for the future. Although Pakistan have not been able to play any Test this year, it doesn’t mean that we are under prepared for the tough series against India early next year.

“Definitely it [the Indian tour of Pakistan] is a huge series. We must make sure our preparations head in the right direction. This morning I asked the boys ‘what was the miracle of this century?’ And someone rightly said it is [Barack] Obama getting into the White House as the new president f the United States.

“He [Obama] achieved it with focus and discipline, and I hope the Pakistan team also learns from this. That clearly proves anything is possible and Pakistan can take inspiration from that.”

Intikhab said the initial meeting with the squad on Friday morning was held in a cordial environment in which everyone was told to give their opinion.

“We had a long, open session with the players and the team management. We talked mostly about discipline and how we are going to perform as a unit.

“I told them that there will be no compromise on discipline whatsoever. In order to achieve our goals, we have to remain focussed since our aim is to move up in the rankings,” Intikhab stated.

“This is our first series with a new management. We need time to settle down and once we do that we will hopefully produce positive results.”

The team, after undergoing another practice session on Saturday, will leave for Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The series starts on Wednesday with the remaining games scheduled for next Friday and Sunday.