Knowing this, Yousuf said he was intent on keeping the captaincy of a team which, for all its undoubted talent, is struggling for traction without home matches or a right and proper balance between Twenty20 cricket and the game’s longer forms, according to sources.

“After this series I want (to remain) because I’m honoured to have the Pakistan captaincy,” Yousuf said after a 40-run defeat by Australia in Adelaide that gave the home side an unbeatable 3-0 lead.

“I try my level best but I think this (Australian team) is the best team in the world to play against.

“I think we play good cricket, not bad cricket, apart from the last game (in Sydney). Otherwise first game and this game was not bad cricket.”

Yousuf has maintained a cheerful and approachable persona despite the continuing ructions within and without his underperforming team, and gave some insight into the obstacles he had to deal with when explaining how the chairman had relayed his denial of any decision.

There was little sympathy for Yousuf from Australian ‘keeper Brad Haddin, a fighting type not given to public displays of weakness. “(Sympathy for Yousuf) is not something I give too much thought to,” Haddin said.

“We’re there to win every game we play and if that puts pressure on the captain then so be it, that’s not something for me or the team to worry about.

“We’re trying to make the opposition feel as uncomfortable as we possibly can and win all the games we’re out there for, so I’m not too worried about his future.

“Pakistan can be a hard team to prepare for because they can be so unpredictable.

“I think what we’ve done this summer is not allow them to get into the rhythm of their cricket, which has been good from our point of view. “So there’s been some glimmers of very good performances (from Pakistan) but we’ve played very well as a unit.”