Well done, Younus Khan

The purists of the game may not rate Younus Khan as the most talented or elegant batsman to have ever batted in a Test match, but no one can deny his effectiveness and impact in the longest format of the game. Fresh from a sensational outburst against the selectors and team management after being left out of the One-Day International (ODI) squad against Australia, the right-handed batsman responded in the best possible manner — scoring his maiden century against the team from Down Under. The 106-run effort took Younus’s tally of Test centuries to 25 — level with Inzamamul Haq as the most by a Pakistan batsman. He also became the first Pakistan player to post centuries against all Test-playing nations, a remarkable feat indeed, which previously eluded the likes of the great Javed Miandad and Inzamam.

Younus’s place in ODIs might have been questioned of late, but no one can deny his pedigree and calibre in the longest format. He is closing in on 8,000 Test runs and if he reaches that landmark, he will only be the third Pakistani to have done so. Fans and pundits now hope that if there any thoughts of replacing him in the longest format, all those ideas will be banished for the foreseeable future at least. The supremely fit batsman has the ability to play at the highest level for a few more years and if the selectors give him the required confidence, he has the ability to post 10,000 Test runs and become the most successful batsman in Pakistani Test history.

After the meek capitulation of our batsmen in the ODIs against Australia, Younus has a realistic chance of making it into the limited-overs side for the upcoming series against New Zealand. The team management relied on a host of relatively inexperienced players for the Australia ODIs but since the move has backfired, there is little sense in leaving a batsman of the class and experience of Younus from the ODI side for upcoming assignments that include the World Cup. Like a true champion, Younus’s bat has done the talking for him once again.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2014.

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