Pakistan’s former captain Younus Khan is one of the finest batsmen ever produced by the country. One of modern batting greats, Younus was the kind of player who used to respond best in adversity. A Test average of over 50, a famous double-hundred against India in India, leading Pakistan to World Twenty20 crown, a triple ton against Sri Lanka and a brilliant rearguard partnership to clinch Pakistan’s 3-0 Test whitewash over England, leave no doubt about his quality and class. He was also one of the most successful fielders for Pakistan, and could bowl respectable slow-medium. During his playing days, much of his persona evoked the idea of the quintessential Pathan warrior – committed, inspired, capable, and bearing the burden of conflict with fortitude and poise. Younus, who played 118 Tests with 34 tons and 33 half centuries, became the first Pakistan batsman to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket in April 2017 during his last series against West Indies in West Indies. He got there in his 208th innings – averaging a shade over 53 – the sixth fastest among the 13 batsmen to have passed the milestone. Younus had been Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in Tests since October 2015, when he went past Javed Miandad’s tally of 8832 runs during the Abu Dhabi Test against England. He achieved 10,000 runs in about a year and a half since he became Pakistan’s highest run-maker. Younus is also the first batsman ever to score centuries in all 11 countries that have hosted Tests. In 2009, Younus hit his best Test score of 313 against Sri Lanka, which is the third-highest from a Pakistan batsman in the longest format. Younus played 265 one day international and bagged 7249 runs before he retired in 2015. He also played 25 Twenty20 matches for his country. The batsman was named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year along side Misbahul Haq in 2017. Born in Mardan in 1977, a prominent city in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Younus moved at an early age to Karachi, where he caught the eye of Rashid Latif and Saeed Anwar at Malir Gymkhana, one of the city’s renowned sports clubs. The relationship with Latif blossomed into a nurturing mentorship, guiding Younus towards entry onto the world stage. Younus’ first major break in international cricket came with his debut Test hundred against Sri Lanka in February 2000 at the Karachi National Stadium. In the second innings of the match, he scored a 107, cementing his place in the team as a strong lower middle-order batsman. His greatest captaincy feat – the world Twenty20 championship in England – was achieved weeks after Pakistan cricket had been devastated by the terror attacks in Lahore. Younus’s career had also seen turmoil. Inability to control infighting within the team and display tact with the PCB led to him losing the captaincy in late 2009, and he effected a moody refusal when circumstances changed and it was offered again. Younus has cemented his place in Pakistan’s cricket history as an iconic batsman with unparalleled success. He has been a busy batsman at the crease. His batting style, in all its uniqueness, drew a fair amount of scepticism, but his ownership of his style remained unapologetic and firm. His career has been spent overcoming challenges that threatened to overwhelm him, but at the end, he has emerged as undeniably Pakistan’s greatest Test batsman. Published in Daily Times, August 5th 2017.