Younis Khan becomes first Pakistan batsman to reach 10000 landmark

Veteran Pakistan cricketer Younis Khan became the first Pakistani cricket to breach the 10000-run landmark in the history of the game. Younis reached the landmark en route his gritty 58 in the first Test against West Indies at the Sabina Park. He became the 13th batsman in the history of Test cricket to complete 10000 runs. Certainly, the superstar from Pakistan deserves to be the part of the elite club of Test cricketers.

Younis Khan had made his Test debut back in the year 2000 against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi. A fighting 107 on his debut in the second innings of the game was the precursor of the great things the man would go on to achieve in the game of cricket. Since then, he has come a long way. Younis went on to smash many records in his 17-year long Test career. The current Test series against West Indies is his last assignment in Pakistani whites.

He is regarded as one of the best players of spin bowling and it is perhaps one of the reasons why he has gone on to be so successful in the Asian subcontinent. He is the only cricketer to have scored centuries in 11 countries. Younis has 34 Test centuries to his name, which is the most by any player from Pakistan. He also has a unique record of being the first batsman to score 5 centuries in the fourth innings of a Test match.

With 6 double centuries to his name in the Tests, Younis Khan is certainly one for the long stays at the crease. He has a century against each of the Test playing nations and is one of the very few batsmen to hold this distinction in Test cricket. The key attribute of his batting has been the consistency that he has had in his playing style. He is the only batsman to average more than 50 in each of the four innings of Test cricket. After having played just 90 Tests, he had breached the 7500 runs landmark. He had become the fastest to reach the number.

In May 2015, he had the 8500 run landmark chased and that made him the first Pakistani cricketer to cross the landmark. Since then, he continues to be the leading run-getter in Tests for Pakistan. He has a triple century to his name as well. His triple century had come against Sri Lanka at Karachi in 2009. Younis Khan had become the third player from his country to score a triple ton in Test cricket.

Getting back to the moment when he reached the milestone, Younis had a broad smile on his face after reaching there. He became the 6th fastest among the 13 players to have crossed the 10k-mark. Younis, averaging just over 53 in Tests, took 208 innings to reach the landmark. The 39-year-old acknowledged the applause from his teammates and the crowd in Kingston. Talking about the landmark after the game, he thanked his family and former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer for shaping his career.

“I credit this success and achievement to all my family members, especially my late father, my mother and the late Bob Woolmer, who always motivated me. This is not just my achievement, this is for everyone in Pakistan, this is Pakistan’s achievement,” he quoted after the day’s play as per the quotes in ESPNcricinfo.

The plethora of records that Younis Khan boasts of is a clear testimony of how good a player he has been. A thorough legend of the game, Younis deserves every bit of the accolade that he has received in Test cricket in his career.