Karachi [Pakistan]: Veteran batsman Younis Khan, who became the first Pakistani cricketer to complete 10,000 runs in Test cricket, has dedicated his milestone to his nation.
The 39-year-old achieved the landmark when his team reached 201-4 in reply to West Indies’ 286-10 on the third day of the rain-affected first Test here at the Sabina Park, Kingston.
Younis, playing in his 116th test match, smashed five boundaries and a six in his gritting knock of 58 (132 balls) and shared a 131-run third-wicket partnership with Babar Azam (72) which gave the tourists an upper hand into the final session of the day.
Younis, who needed 23 runs at the start of his innings to reach the milestone, swept a delivery from off-spinner Roston Chase in the first over after tea to the backward square-leg boundary to become the first Pakistani batsman and just the 13th player overall – and the oldest – in the history of the game. to scale that summit.
Reflecting on his feat, Younis admitted that he was feeling extremely proud to achieve the milestone which no one had managed to do so in the history of Pakistan cricket.
“I am extremely happy, and I cannot explain my feelings. 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,” Younis said in an interview with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The veteran batsman, who will bid adieu to international cricket following the ongoing three-match series against the Caribbean side, revealed that he was waiting for this day for the last 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,” he said.
Younis, who is also the leading century maker in Pakistan’s Test history, believes the milestone is very important for the future of the country’s cricket.
“I think this achievement is very important for Pakistan Test cricket.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,” he added.
India’s batting legend Sachin Tendulkar tops the list of scorers in Test cricket, retiring after accumulating 15,921 runs in 200 Test matches.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is next with 13,378 from 168 Tests, followed by South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis who scored 13,289 in 166 Tests.
His career batting average of 53.02 is also the best by any Pakistani batsman and the third best by any batsman from Asia.
In January, Younis also became the first cricketer in Test history to score centuries in 11 countries when he smashed his 34th hundred in the third Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground ( SCG), tying him with Sunil Gavaskar, Mahela Jayawardene and Brian Lara in the all-time list at sixth place. (ANI)