By Naeem-ul-Haq in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)
Isn’t it strange that Younis Khan, one of the greatest-ever cricketers to be produced by Pakistan, has yet not been accorded the kind of respect and recognition he deserves for earning so much glories for the country?
Doesn’t he merit the same degree of admiration for winning the World Cup like the one granted to the other captain for bringing home the trophy?
Honestly speaking, Younis has not been fairly treated by the powers that be despite his incredible performances. Yes, he was the skipper of the team when Pakistan emerged triumphant in the ICC T20 World Cup in England during the summer of 2009.
That’s the only time the country has won the T20I title since its inception in 2007, which makes the conquest even more remarkable.
Please also don’t forget that Younis has scored the highest number of runs as well as centuries for Pakistan in Test cricket. Do we need to be reminded that he is the only player in with five fourth-innings Test centuries which is a world record.
Let us also not lose sight of the fact that he remains the only Pakistani batsman to score centuries against all nine other Test nations. He also holds records for most century partnerships for Pakistan.
He has fourth-highest conversion rate from 50 to 100 among the batsmen having scored 20 or more centuries.
Don’t also overlook the incredible feat of scoring as many as 11 centuries after having turned 35. He became the first Pakistani cricketer with 100 Test catches, also holding the record for most catches by a substitute fielder.
His record in One-day Internationals is no less impressive despite the fact that he was used as a floater in the batting order during his first 90 matches whereby he was sent into bat at different positions with limited number of balls left to be negotiated.
Younis was not allowed to bat at a particular position for a long time, which amounted to injustice with his talents. He could have been much more useful for the team if he was not victimized in the early part of his ODI career.
Yet, when he got the chance, he proved his critics and detractors absolutely wrong.
Needless to say, he was a team man to the core, who never cared for his personal record or individual glory. He was a selfless person in the truest sense of the word. That’s why he sacrificed his wicket on innumerable occasions for the sake of the team, not caring for his batting average or anything like that.
That’s how he was dismissed in 80s and 90s on quite a few times. He could have scored many more centuries if he thought of himself which he never did. Yet, he was criticized occasionally for not producing the goods, which was grossly unfair.
Younis has a history of having absorbed the pressures of all kinds. Today, although he never admits, but he must be wondering why he has not been given the importance he so richly deserves.
It would be in national interest if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) assigns him the task of picking and grooming raw cricketers, something Rahul Dravid did so successfully for India in the recent past.
