Younus Khan wants to be remembered as ‘team man’

Veteran batsman hopes he has done enough to be role model for youngsters

Pakistan veteran batsman Younus Khan hopes that when he leaves international cricket after the three-match Test series against West Indies, he will be remembered as a team man whose only focus was performing for his side.

“When I am not in this dressing room, when I am not playing international cricket, I want youngsters to think of me as a role model,” said Younus in a video interview for the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Facebook account. “I want them to think that what Younus bhai would do in different situations. I want them to think of me when I leave. I want to leave such a legacy.”

“Also, I want everyone to remember me as a team man, as a batsman who always played for Pakistan and the team,” he added.

Favourite moments

Younus, who has represented Pakistan in 115 Tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20Is, when asked to name his favourite innings said: “My first Test run was the most important one for me. It was a memorable one. I scored that against Sri Lanka in 2000 in Rawalpindi. Almighty helped me score a century too [in the second innings].”

He then enlisted some other great moments of his career. “My 149-run innings against New Zealand in Auckland, the innings against India in Calcutta, where we were playing after a Test match defeat, then I made 200 in Bangalore, and the 175 in Australia, the innings in England, and yes, the triple hundred. Pakistan youngsters needed someone to look up to at that time; that innings made me the third-ever Pakistani to score a triple ton.”

10,000 runs celebration

The 39-year-old Younus has scored 9,977 runs in Tests, the highest by any national cricketer, and he needs only 23 runs to become the first Pakistani to enter the elite list of scoring 10,000 runs in the longest format, but how does he want to celebrate it?

“When I think of celebrating [10,000 runs], I want to go overboard,” he joked. “When I surpassed Javed [Miandad’s] record, I wanted to go give my bat, my gloves to some youngster or the crowd but you can’t do all that in international cricket. Plus you are not playing at home. If you are playing at home then it is understandable that you stop the match for five minutes and do something with the crowd. However, this time around, I’ll request the people to let me celebrate however I want."

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