Younis Khan saves his best for the last!

There’s something perpetually frustrating for a bowler bowling to Younis Khan. Aesthetically, Younis can very often be displeasing, his lanky figure remains vulnerable to body blows from the opposition quicks and yet, while the run rate remains ever so slow, his most notable contribution remains in terms of the time he spends on the crease for sometimes, playing second fiddle to a set batsman is heroic to say the least.

The England tour this year attracted a lot of unwanted criticism and people signing the warhorse off for retirement as his excruciatingly long batting stints for petite scores might have been instrumental in seeing his team off a potential crisis and yet, his failed acclimatization to the English seam and bounce was the stuff of ridicule in the English press. After a historic win in the first Test, it pretty much seemed like Pakistan was heading towards an anti-climax to its ongoing fairytale and yet, the proceedings of the fourth and final Test match is very much the stuff of legends.

What ensured that Pakistan didn’t take the route taken by India two years back was a heroic batting effort, scoring 542 in reply to England’s score of 328 in the first innings. Younis Khan’s characteristic bend in the spine as the bowler approached the finish of his run-up had very often become the reason for his undoing in the series so far. 33, 25, 1, 18, 31 and 4 were all that Younis had to show just before this match.

At his age, the slightest discomfort is seen as the wearing down of reflexes and Younis’ case was no different. This could very likely be his last innings on English shores and he showed that he is definitely not done yet. The characteristic squat was omnipresent and yet, wasn’t ugly to see for a change. It perhaps helped him get on top of the English bounce, the jittery legs from the previous Test matches seemed to have given way to firmness in batting and the results were there to see for everyone.

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Younis kick-started his innings by flicking James Anderson for a four on the leg side, a mildly pleasing cover drive followed suit. However, it was the moment where Younis danced down the wicket hitting Moeen Ali for a humongous six over long on that made us firmly believe that Younis was in his element. Even as he leapt to safety while trying to fend off Steven Finn’s bouncers, his feet for the most part were grounded and unlike his earlier outings, it seemed like his stint as a ballet dancer was over and he was back to being the mainstay of Pakistan’s batting order.

The occasional reverse sweep for four off the bowling of Ali showed that even after all these years, the veteran is open to innovation. As the innings progressed, so did Younis Khan’s bat speed and a couple of square drives which raced away to the boundary exemplified the form he had found coming his way in the match. Younis reached his hundred as he fended off a Chris Woakes delivery which had kept low at a steady speed. As he scampered away for a single, a calm celebration followed for unlike other batsmen for whom reaching a century is a milestone in itself, for Younis, it’s simply a prophetic sign for greater things to come.

Twelve times has Younis crossed the 150-run barrier in Tests and now 6 times has he crossed the 200-run mark which speaks immensely of the man’s caliber. Even as he bent down and kissed the ground, a signature move very often for cricketers coming from his part of the world, Younis settled down at the crease soon enough in a bid to continue his mission. He had the dynamic Sarfraz Ahmed for company at the other end and Younis seemed to be feeding on his energy as he settled into a rhythm of his own and refused to play second fiddle to his younger counterpart.

Glorious cover drives were followed by uncomfortable pull shots off the bowling of Steven Finn which somehow found a safe place to land. Even as Finn blasted one on Younis’s pads and the umpire adjudged him out lbw, replays showed that the ball was missing the stumps and he stayed on, continuing on his merry way.

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As the innings progressed, Younis went the unconventional way; he thrashed a bouncer bowled outside the off-stump by Finn for a lofty four as he leapt in the air in a bid to reach the ball, both feet in the air. His sweeps became ever so consistent and Pakistan continued to build up on the total. He was ably assisted by Asad Shafiq who too scored a century and stitched a good partnership for his team in company of the veteran.

This is how Pakistan functions, in bouts of surprising extremities. In a series which many had expected was nearing a dismal end for the tourists, Pakistan bounced back with a stupendous batting display in what had otherwise been a modest batting display from them in the series. Coupling their batting effort with their bowlers going for the kill in the last inning ensured that they square off the series 2-2 and realize a slightly modified fairytale but equally special for this is a team which has been hampered by a corrupt cricket administration, lack of fixtures outside the comfort of the low lying pitches of the subcontinent and frequent scandals of fixing plaguing their players and yet, what ensures their successful return to England after a sort of an exile imposed by the international cricketing community is a mystery that few have been able to solve!