Mohammad Yousuf will meet Pakistan Cricket Board chief Naseem Ashraf on September 26 to decide on whether to join the Indian Cricket League or make himself available for the upcoming home series against South Africa.
PCB chief executive Shafqat Naghmi confirmed that Yousuf would be meeting Ashraf on Wednesday in Lahore to discuss his future with the Pakistan team.
"No agenda has been finalised for this meeting. But since Yousuf is a very important member of the team, the chairman will try to persuade him to give Pakistan the top priority," Naghmi said.
Ashraf is confident of convincing Yousuf to cancel his ICL contract and play for Pakistan.
The PCB is adamant that any player, who signs up for the ICL, will not be considered for the national team.
Yousuf, former captain Inzamam-ul Haq, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat had joined the ICL.
Yousuf, who made a record breaking 1,788 runs in 11 Tests with nine hundreds in 2006, was a shock omission from Pakistan's squad for the Twenty20 World Cup.
When contacted Yousuf said he had not given any thought to his immediate future but would like to see what the PCB chairman has to say.
"Obviously Pakistan is my first priority. But I need to know how things can be worked out without any inconvenience to anyone," he said.
Meanwhile, sources said the Pakistan Cricket Board is still not as serious about convincing the other three players to drop their ICL contracts but is expecting them to follow suit once Yousuf is back in their fold.
One source said the board is willing to compensate Yousuf for the loss of earnings around USD 200,000, which he faces if he cancels his ICL contract.
"And with the Indian board also having launched the official Premier League Twenty20 cricket with the blessings of the ICC and the Pakistan, Australia, South Africa and English boards, Ashraf feels he is in a strong position to convince Yousuf to play against South Africa," the source added.
Naghmi, when asked about the other three players, said right now the chairman would only meet Yousuf.
"If the others want to discuss their future they are welcome to talk to us. But right now they are no plans to have meetings with them," Naghmi said.
Pakistan plays the first Test against South Africa from October 1 in Karachi and though Yousuf's replacement in the Twenty20 World Cup, Misbah-ul-Haq, has done well the selectors are still jittery about the coming Tests with South Africa and want Yousuf to anchor the middle order.
