YOUNIS KHAN (PAKISTAN)

Introduction:

Younis Khan (born 29 November 1977) is a Pakistani cricketer and former captain of the Pakistan cricket team. He is only the third Pakistani player to score 300 or more runs in an innings. Like Imran Khan, he is most remembered for his leadership letting Pakistan win 2009 ICC World T20. He also holds the most centuries by a Pakistani cricketer in test cricket.

On 10 March 2010, Younis, along with another player, Mohammad Yousuf were axed by the Pakistan Cricket Board from playing for Pakistan in any format for an indefinite period, following an inquiry report which suggested that both players were involved in breaches of discipline by inciting divisions within the team. The ban was lifted three months later. Presently Younis is a key member in the ODI and Test match side. By October 22 2014, Younis reached his 25th test match century against Australia and made his 26th century in the 2nd innings of the same test match, the highest number of centuries of a Pakistani Batsman and the only sixth Pakistani batsman to hit centuries in both innings of same test match.

Career:

Younis Khan made his international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka atKarachi in February 2000, and has since played over 150 ODIs for Pakistan. He has also played in over 90 Test matches. Younis was one of the few batsmen who retained his place in the team after Pakistan's disastrous World Cup campaign in 2003, but lost it soon after due to a string of poor scores in the home series against Bangladesh and South Africa. He came back for the one-day series against India, but failed to cement a place in the Test side.

It was his return to the side in October 2004, at the pivotal one-down, against Sri Lanka in Karachi that laid the groundwork for his emergence as a force in Pakistan cricket. Younis was the top run-getter in the disastrous 3–0 whitewash in Australia immediately after and on the tour of India, for which he was elevated to vice-captain. After a horror start to the series, he came back strongly, capping things off with 267 in the final Test. It was his highest Test score that came off 504 balls in the first innings, to set up a series levelling victory in Bangalore. Apart from being an accomplished batsman, Younis is also a skilled slip fielder and a very occasional leg-spin bowler. Once, Craig McMillan hit Younis for 26 runs, 444464 in an over, a then world record, during 3rd Test at Westpac Trust Park, Hamilton. He has performed particularly well on foreign grounds, including on tours of Australia, India, England and Sri Lanka. In the six Tests he has played against India, Younis averages an exceptional 106, the highest average against India by a Pakistani cricketer. Apart from his 267 at Bangalore, Younis also made 147 at Kolkata in 2005 and a pair of centuries during India's trip to Pakistan in 2006. More importantly, the tour to India also showcased his potential as a future captain of Pakistan and his energetic and astute leadership has impressed many people. Also in 2006, Younis made a century in the third Test against England at Headingley. On 22 January 2007, he scored a matchwinning 67 not out in the 4th innings to guide Pakistan to victory over South Africa in Port Elizabeth. The five wicket win levelled the series at 1–1.

In 2005, he was one of the 15 nominees for the ICC Test Player of the Year. He is the second fastest Pakistani in terms of innings to reach 4000 Test runs, behind Javed Miandad. Younis reached the milestone in 87 innings, just one more thanSachin Tendulkar took.

Younis Khan topped the ICC's Test Batting Rankings in February 2009 after an acclaimed innings of 313 in his first test as captain, in the process of helping save the match for Pakistan. His ranking score of 880 is the third highest achieved by a Pakistani batsmen after Mohammad Yousuf (933), Javed Miandad (885) and just ahead of Inzamam-ul-Haq (870).

Captaincy:

He first led Pakistan against the West Indies in 2005. In September 2006, he was offered the position of captain for the2006 ICC Champions Trophy, following the suspension of Inzamam ul Haq. He turned down the offer, stating he did not want to be a'dummy captain'. However, on the morning of 7 October 2006, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that Khan would lead his team in the tournament. Following the resignation of Inzamam after the Pakistan's exit from the2007 Cricket World Cup, Khan was offered the captaincy on a permanent basis, but he turned it down. He blamed the angry reaction by the Pakistani public to the team's early exit from the tournament.

After Pakistan's 2–1 defeat to Sri Lanka in 2009, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt appointed Younis Khan as the permanent captainof both the Test and ODI teams. The appointment became effective as of 27 January 2009. Shortly after accepting the post, Younis was quoted as saying, 'I will try and fix things that aren't right at the moment... I want our team to be consistent above all, in everything we do and that will require everyone to put their hands up.' Younis went on to say that he expects full support from former captain Shoaib Malik whom he called a senior player in the side.

Batting Style:

Younis is regarded as one of the best players of spin bowling in the world, being particularly strong on the leg side. His favourite and trademark shot is the flick, He is also prone to getting down on one knee and driving extravagantly. One of his main weaknesses is playing away from the body, he also has a tendency to leave straight balls, a trait that has been exploited by bowlers in the past, particularly by the Australian attack. Along with Mohammad Yousuf and the now retired Inzamam-ul-Haq, he formed a formidable middle order batting line up for Pakistan.he had effected the third highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket. with the highest success rate. Best player of sweep against spinners in modern cricket.

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