KARACHI: Pakistan star batsman Younus Khan on Thursday became the first player in the history of Test cricket to score centuries in 11 countries, including the United Arab Emirates. The veteran batsman smashed his 34th century at the Sydney Cricket Ground on a rain-affected third day of the third Test against Australia, tying him with Sunil Gavaskar, Mahela Jayawardene and Brian Lara in the all-time list at 6th place. Rahul Dravid is the only other cricketer to score centuries in all 10 full-member Test nations, with 36 centuries under his belt. Sachin Tendulkar remains the all-time highest Test century scorer with 51 tons in 200 Test matches. The last time a batsman older than Younus, 39, scored a century in Australia was in 1984 when Clive Lloyd hit a ton, at the age of 40 in Brisbane. Overall, Younus is the sixth oldest visiting batsman to score a century in Australia and third oldest at the SCG after Jack Hobbs and Warwick Armstrong.
Despite hospitalisation from dengue fever last year, the modern-day great of the game appears to be in the best shape of his life – He averages above 50 in Tests played at home, away, and at neutral venues – a record that not many batsmen can boast of.
Few batsman in the modern era score or have scored Test hundreds as frequently as Younus. His innings per Test century ratio of 6.05 is among the best in the modern world. His sixth double century at the Oval last year is a record that he now shares with Javed Miandad. The ratio of Younus’ centuries to fifties is 1.06, he has converted 11 of his last 15 fifties into hundreds. This is the second highest among 41 batsmen who have scored 20 or more centuries. Only Don Bradman (2.23) has a better ratio than Younus. Overall, Younus has 34 centuries and 32 fifties in Test cricket.
Younus has behind him a famous double-century against India in India. As captain, he led Pakistan to victory at the 2009 world Twenty20 series. At 39, Younus is inching closer to a milestone 10,000 runs and has currently racked up 9,789 runs in 114 matches. There have only been 12 batsmen in cricket’s history to have scored past 10,000 runs in Tests – A rare feat which symbolises the temperament of a batsman in cricket’s five-day format, none from Pakistan has ever done so.
Younus dedicates inning to TCF: Younus dedicated his ‘special inning’ to the students of The Citizens Foundation (TCF)’s school in Steel Town, Karachi. In a video message, he said that as promised, he will donate his bat to TCF, after achieving milestone of 10,000 runs in Test cricket.