Younis Khan, the unsung hero of Pakistan cricket

Younis Khan, the unsung hero of Pakistan cricket

Younis Khan is undoubtedly one of the most talented batsman that Pakistan has produced. He is not only a talented batsmen but also one of the best fielder that Pakistan cricket team has ever had. Apart from his talent as a player, he brings positivity into the dressing room which is something that our team really needs. Despite of all of his monumental achievements, he was disrespected by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when they dropped him from the ODI squad for the recently concluded series against Australia. He was not only dropped but the reason stated by chief selector, Moin Khan, was extremely disrespectful. He said that youngsters are the future of Pakistan cricket in ODI’s rather than aged players like Younis Khan. He also stated that picking him for ODIs against Sri Lanka backfired. However, to be fair to Younis, he just played one match and had to return to Pakistan due to the death of his nephew. Thus, the question that arises now is that why did the PCB treat a player of such caliber in this manner?

Treatment of senior players in such manner is not something new from the PCB. This previously happened with Mohammad Yousuf as well who was a great batsmen too. Kamran Akmal who was one the best wicket-keeper batsmen we had in recent times. Another example is the talented all-rounder Abdul Razzak. All of these players, extremely good at what they did, were dropped by the PCB without being given a chance to prove themselves.

However, after the ODI series, Younis was recalled for the test series against Australia. The most important thing for him now was how he responded to his critics. He managed to do this in the best possible way. He scored three consecutive centuries and was the first batsmen to ever do so against Australia. As a result of these three tons, he became Pakistan’s leading century scorer with 27 centuries. His remarkable performance was a key factor in Pakistan’s 3-0 test series win against Australia. His performance and presence also brought a lot of positivity in Pakistani dressing room and motivated other players, especially the youngsters like Ahmed Shehzad and Azhar Ali to perform well.

He once again proved his worth to all his critics. His performances solidified the reasons why he should be in the Pakistan cricket team. Our team desperately needs a player like him. Also, his achievements have earned him the status of a ‘legend.’ He has scored the most number of centuries by a Pakistani batsmen and has over 7000 runs in ODIs. Apart from his ability to score runs consistently, his presence in the dressing room makes a big difference. Everything he has done for the Pakistan cricket team hasn’t been easy. Such dedication comes from a lot of hard work and sacrifice. Thus, this legend should be given the recognition and respect he deserves from his critics, especially from the PCB.