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Leading the team to victory

Younis Khan hopes to continue as a formidable player and leave a mark in a sport he admires

An underrated cricket player, Younis Khan is by far among the top batsmen produced by Pakistan. Interestingly, the 37-year-old has played only 101 tests; a shocker for Australian Captain Michael Clarke when Pakistan and Australia squared off in the UAE last year.
"Younis is a very good player and has been for a long time. I found out (recently) this is only his 93^rd Test match. I thought he'd played a lot more than that. He's one of the gentlemen of our game, a class player," Clarke had said during a series held in the UAE where Younis scored back-to-back three hundreds, including a double.
Nobody can forget his innings (127) against England in Dubai in 2012 when he single-handedly turned the match in Pakistan's favour and helped his team beat the Englishmen.
He played a key role in Pakistan's historical win in the third Test against Sri Lanka recently. The victory helped Pakistan win a Test series 2-1 in Sri Lanka after nine years.
Younis has already scored 30 Test centuries, the most by any Pakistani batsman. Now he is only 18 runs away from becoming a leading run-scorer for Pakistan in Tests, a record that has been held by legendry Javed Miandad for over two decades.
The ever-smiling batsman has five double-centuries in Tests. He has scored a hundred against every Test-playing nation. He owns the record for most catches in Test cricket for Pakistan. He averages over 50 at home and away, and averages over 50 in the neutral limbo. He has the highest average of any Pakistani batsman in history.
Zaheer Abbas, the newly-inducted president of the International Cricket Council, leads the list for Pakistan with 108 centuries in 459 first-class matches, followed by Javed Miandad (80 in 402 matches), Majid Khan (73 in 410), Mushtaq Mohammad (72 in 502), Hanif Mohammad (55 in 238), Shafiq Ahmed (53 in 266), and Sadiq Mohammad (50 in 387).
Younis, currently at 89, went past several top players to score five centuries in the 4^th innings of a Test, a time when the pitch deteriorates and batsmen are forced to chase a target or save a match. He went against India's Sunil Gavaskar, Australia's Ricky Ponting, West Indies' Ramnaresh Sarwan and South Africa's Graeme Smith, who had each scored centuries during their respective games.
The mild-mannered Younis has had some run-ins with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) during his career. As a veteran of 264 one-day internationals, he had also made it clear that he was not happy to be dropped from the one-day squad.
"Why can't I play one-day cricket? What is wrong with me? Am I not fit or good enough? If I had been given a chance in the recent home series against Zimbabwe, I would definitely have got runs," he had said.
He defended his spot by highlighting his stint during a World Cup match against South Africa. He was inducted after Haris Sohail's injury and scored 37 runs.
"I have scored runs against every strong opponent so why can't I play ODIs. I have also played against any side when others have backed down. I am thankful to my family and the media who projected my image in a positive manner, which changed PCB's stance," he had added.
Younis is considered a good teammate and takes youngsters under his wing. Players like Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali have benefited a lot from his experience. He is very keen to nurture young talent, he had once said to Khaleej Times. "I urge the PCB to look after these players because all players need to be respected."
Younis is known for his integrity. Hailing from a modest background, he is content with what he has and never let greed come in his way.
The seasoned batsman was very close to Bob Woolmer and still misses him. He gives credit to the late coach who help to shape his career. Younis also praised Rahul Dravid for playing a huge role in his form as a top-class Test batsman.
"The advice I got from Dravid at the early stages of my career helped me develop into a batsman who is comfortable at the number three position," he said.
Younis added that he has no immediate plans to retire, and his image is what matters to him the most. He also admitted that his decision to quit as captain in 2009 was a mistake. If given the opportunity by PCB, he would gladly lead the Pakistan team once again.
liaqat@khaleejtimes.com