Daily Times

LAHORE: Veteran batsman Younus Khan said Monday that he was extremely proud of becoming the first Pakistani to score 10,000 runs in the Test format. Younus, who achieved that milestone during the third day of the first Test against West Indies, said he was in at sea to explain his feelings. “I am extremely happy, and I cannot explain my feelings,” said Younus in a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “There’ve been many great players in Pakistan cricket, but no one managed to achieve this milestone. So I am just really pleased to finally achieve this landmark. This is not just my achievement, but this record belongs to the whole of Pakistan.” The 39-year-old, who is also the leading century maker in Pakistan’s Test history, also revealed that he was waiting for this day for the past three years. “To be honest, I’ve been waiting for this day for the past three years,” he said. “At this time, I was seriously considering retirement. But then my fans motivated me, and because of them I have reached this far.” Younus, who started playing for Pakistan 17 years back, believes that the milestone is very important for the future of the country’s Test cricket. “I think this achievement is very important for Pakistan Test cricket,” he added. “We had legends in the past like Javed Miandad, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamamul Haq, but no one managed to go on and achieve this milestone. Now finally I’ve reached there, and it is a great achievement for Pakistan cricket, as they’ve produced a player who managed to score 10,000 Test runs.”