For anyone who has watched Younis Khan go about his business up close, there is little doubt of his professionalism, dedication, passion or talent.
But despite his brilliance and how he continues to defy the odds at 38 years of age, his name is often missing from many people’s list of all-time greats. It shouldn’t be, but Younis’ classical Test batsmanship is often concentration and application confused as boring.
He may not have the flair of Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen or AB de Villiers but they are just three of the illustrious names he sits above on the all-time highest Test match run makers.
Younis, quite simply, a batsman of the highest class and it is a matter of time before he joins the 12 men to have plundered 10,000 runs in the longest format.
Most 100s for Pakistan:
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) October 21, 2016
Younis Khan 40
Mohammad Yousuf 39
Inzamam-ul-Haq 35
Javed Miandad 31
Saeed Anwar 31#Cricket
On the first day in Abu Dhabi he proved just the kind of player he is, scoring a superb century alongside his main ally Misbah-ul-Haq, another player whose dominance stems from their determination.
Younis even stands apart from his captain, his major attribute of being able to convert fifties into centuries evident once again in the UAE capital. He has gone on to score hundreds more times after moving to fifty than he hasn’t [30 fifties].
Younis now has 33 tons and sits ninth in the list of batsmen with the most career Test centuries, while his average of 54.14 is only bettered by two of those names; Kumar Sangakkara and Jacques Kallis. That is illustrious company that Younis deserves to keep.
And in this latest innings of evidence to his case, Younis leaped these landmarks weeks after suffering from dengue, a debilitating virus that saw him lose more than seven kilograms during his time under the weather.
It highlights just how fit he is at a stage when most players are being ushered away from the limelight and batsmen are not considered to be capable of churning out hundred after hundred and batting for at times days in temperatures reaching 40 degrees.
For Pakistan and Younis, his fitness is a huge bonus, not only to their current chances of success but their future ones too.
Not only can the Pakistan team management keep putting off thoughts of his retirement and discovering a new middle-order heavyweight but Younis can play both the role of chief run scorer and mentor to an understudy in the intervening years.
His hunger for international cricket and run scoring shows no signing of being satisfied just yet and as one of the fittest and most consistent members of the team, Younis’ position is safe for as long as he wants it, bar a sharp decline in his powers.
More immediately will come Misbah’s pass of the baton, meaning Younis’ own responsibility in the side will be amplified. It is crucial that the succession is seamless between Misbah’s exit and Younis’ own and if there is ever a player to shoulder that burden mentally, physically and technically it is Younis.
It means his twilight years could bear even more significance in a career that should already be recognised as legendary. Younis quite clearly has miles left in his legs and his mind is as sharp as ever, so those records can keep tumbling for some time.
You just hope that, when all is said and done, he will be remembered for what he is; one of the game’s greatest batsman and most prolific century maker.
