Mohammad Younis Khan PP SI (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

: ; born 29 November 1977) is a Pakistani professional cricket coach and former

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er and captain of the

Pakistan national cricket team The Pakistan national cricket team or Pak cricket team, often referred to as the Shaheens (), Green Shirts, Men in Green and Cornered Tigers is administered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team is a Full Member of the International ...

in all three formats of the game, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest middle-order batsmen in Test cricket. Khan is the only Test cricketer in the history of the game to score a century in all 11 countries that have hosted Test matches. Younis holds the record for the most runs and the most centuries scored by a Pakistani in Test cricket history. and is the third Pakistani player to score 300 or more runs in an innings. He is one of the handful of Test batsman in the world with a century conversion ratio of over 50 percent, with 34 centuries and 33 fifties. He led

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

to their victory in the

2009 ICC World Twenty20 The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) that took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugural ...

, which was their first World Twenty20 title. On 23 April 2017, he became the first Pakistani and 13th ever batsmen to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He became the oldest and sixth fastest batsmen to reach the 10,000 run milestone in relation to innings played. On 24 March 2010, Younis, along with teammate

Mohammad Yousuf Mohammad Yusuf, Muhammad Yousuf and other spellings, may refer to: Politicians * Mohammad Yusuf (politician), prime minister and foreign minister of Afghanistan * Mohammad Yousef, a governor of Daykundi of Province, Afghanistan * Muhammad Yusuf ...

were suspended from playing by the

Pakistan Cricket Board The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Coun ...

following an inquiry report which suggested they were involved in breaches of discipline by inciting divisions within the team. The ban was lifted three months later. In a Test match against Australia beginning on 22 October 2014, Younis made his 25th and 26th centuries in the same match, becoming just the 6th Pakistani to do so. On 25 June 2015, Younis became the fifth Pakistani cricketer to play 100 Test matches and on 13 October 2015, he became Pakistan's highest run scorer in Test cricket, breaking

Javed Miandad Mohammad Javed Miandad PP SI (Urdu: ; born 12 June 1957), popularly known as Javed Miandad (Urdu: ), is a Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer known for his unconventional style of captaincy and batting. ESPNcricinfo desc ...

's record of 8,832 runs. He retired from ODI cricket in November 2015. He retired from all forms of international cricket at the conclusion of the series against the West Indies in May 2017.

Personal life

Younis married Amna on 30 March 2007. They have three children: two son and one daughter. His eldest son Owais Khan was born on 26 December 2007. His daughter name is Ammarah Khan and his younger son name is Ammar Khan. Younis had to deal with a number of deaths in his family during 2005 and 2006. Earlier in 2005 he had to fly back from a tour to Australia after his father had died. Later in the year during England's tour to Pakistan, Younis' eldest brother, Mohammed Sharif Khan, who in Younis's words, taught him to play cricket, died aged 41 in a car accident in Ukraine. Another older brother, Farman Ali Khan was only 39 when he was killed in a car accident in Germany in December 2006. Younis was batting in the second ODI against

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

in Faisalabad when the news of his brother's death reached the team management. Younis only learned of the situation after he returned to the pavilion at the end of his innings. Younis immediately left for his home town

Mardan Mardān (Pashto and ; Urdu ; Pashto: ) is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (after Peshawar). It is a fast-growing ...

and did not participate in any of the remaining matches. Younis also mentioned his grief at the death of

Bob Woolmer Robert Andrew Woolmer (14 May 1948 – 18 March 2007) was an English cricket coach, cricketer, and a Sportscaster, commentator. He played in 19 Test cricket, Test matches and six One Day Internationals for the England cricket team and later coach ...

in March 2007 after Pakistan's exit from the World Cup. He stated that he saw Bob as a father figure after the loss of his own father and that he was able to share many personal thoughts with the cricket coach. During a tour of the West Indies in May 2011, Younis was given permission to return home early due to the death of his elder brother Shamshad Khan in Germany. He is known to enjoy fishing, when not playing cricket.

Domestic career

Australian first-class cricket

In 2008–09, Younis played for the

Southern Redbacks Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, ...

in Australia's domestic circuit on a short-term basis. He scored a century against Queensland Bulls in the first innings of a Sheffield shield match in Brisbane, which helped the Redbacks to win their first Shield match for a year.

County cricket

In 2005, Younis played county cricket for

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

in England. In the 2007 English domestic cricket season, played for

Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yorkshire County Cricket Club is one of 18 first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Yorkshire. Yorkshire are the most successful team in English cricketing hi ...

as an overseas player. In doing so he was the third overseas Asian cricketer to play for

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

following

Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...

and

Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj Singh (born 12 December 1981) is a former Indian international cricketer who played in all formats of the game. He is an all-rounder who batted left-handed in the middle order and bowled slow left-arm orthodox . He has won 7 Player of ...

, and was succeeded by Pakistani player Inzamam-ul-Haq. On his

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...

debut for Yorkshire, he made a disappointing 4 runs from 4 balls in his first innings, being bowled by

Rikki Clarke Rikki Clarke (born 29 September 1981) is a retired English cricketer, who last played for Surrey County Cricket Club, Surrey. He was educated at Broadwater School and then Godalming College. Clarke began his career as a professional cricketer w ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, and just 12 in his second innings. However, on his one-day debut in the

Friends Provident Trophy The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom. It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class counties competed each season. They were joined by teams from Scotland and Ireland. La ...

, Younis hit a superb 100 from 92 balls against

to lead Yorkshire to victory. He made his first

century, 106 off 151 balls, for Yorkshire against

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

at the Rose Bowl in the third match of the season and followed it up with an unbeaten double hundred, 202 off 290 balls, in the second innings to steer Yorkshire to a confident declaration. In doing so, Younis became the first Yorkshire player to score a century and a double century in the same match. Younis also made a useful contribution bowling during Hampshire's second innings, picking up four wickets for just 52 runs, however despite his and the team's efforts the match ended in a draw. He repeated the feat of an unbeaten double century at Scarborough in a rain-affected drawn match with

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. He played a superb innings to finish on 217* off just 252 balls with 18 fours and 6 sixes. He left Yorkshire following the 8-wicket drubbing of Glamorgan Dragons. However, the nature of the victory denied him of the chance to sign off in a fitting matter as he was not required to bat. He signed for

for the 2010 season.

Indian Premier League

In 2008, Younis signed with the

Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...

and was drafted by the

Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals (often abbreviated as RR) are a franchise cricket team based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Founded in 2008 as one of the initial eight IPL franchises, the team is based at the Sawai Ma ...

for a bid of US$225,000. He however played only 1 match in the tournament against

Kings XI Punjab Punjab Kings (PBKS) are a franchise cricket team based in Mohali, Punjab, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Established in 2008 as the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), the franchise is jointly owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zi ...

and scored 1 run. He has not appeared in the IPL since.

Pakistan

He contributed as a mentor for

Peshawar Zalmi Peshawar Zalmi ( ur, ; ps, پېښور زلمي; literally meaning "Peshawar's youth") is a Pakistani franchise T20 cricket team which plays in the Pakistan Super League and represents Peshawar, the capital city of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pro ...

in the 2017 PSL season and the

2018 PSL season The 2018 PSL season was the sixth season of the Philippine Super Liga (PSL). It introduced its first all-star weekend and a fourth indoor tournament, the Collegiate Grand Slam Conference, featuring collegiate women's teams. Indoor Volleyball Gr ...

. In July 2018, he resigned from his roles of both captain and player of the

United Bank Limited cricket team United Bank Limited cricket team was a Pakistani domestic cricket team sponsored by United Bank Limited. The team was founded in 1975, and competed in various domestic competitions as a departmental team, principally in first-class cricket, winni ...

, after the United Bank Limited company decided to disband the team.

International career

Younis Khan made his international debut in an ODI against

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

in February 2000, and has since played over 250 ODIs for Pakistan. His

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

debut came during the same tour in 2000 against Sri Lanka on 26 February 2000 and played in over 110 Test matches until retirement. Younis was one of the few batsmen who retained his place in the team after Pakistan's disastrous World Cup campaign in 2003, but lost it soon after due to a string of poor scores in the home series against

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. He came back for the one-day series against

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, but failed to cement a place in the Test side. It was his return to the side in October 2004, at the pivotal one-down, against Sri Lanka in Karachi that laid the groundwork for his emergence as a force in Pakistan cricket. Younis was the top run-getter in the disastrous 3–0 whitewash in Australia immediately after and on the tour of

, for which he was elevated to vice-captain. After a horror start to the series, he came back strongly, capping things off with 267 in the final Test. It was his highest Test score that came off 504 balls in the first innings, to set up a series levelling victory in Bangalore. Apart from being an accomplished batsman, Younis is also a skilled slip fielder and a very occasional leg-spin bowler. Once,

Craig McMillan Craig Douglas McMillan (born 13 September 1976) is a New Zealand cricket coach and former cricketer who played all forms of the game. He was a right-handed batsman and useful right-arm medium pace bowler and played for Canterbury in New Zealan ...

hit Younis for 26 runs, 4 4 4 4 6 4 in an over, a then world record, during 3rd Test at Westpac Trust Park, Hamilton. He has performed particularly well on foreign grounds, including on tours of Australia, India, England and Sri Lanka. In the six Tests he has played against India, Younis averages an exceptional 106, the highest average against India by a Pakistani cricketer. Apart from his 267 at Bangalore, Younis also made 147 at

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

in 2005 and a pair of centuries during India's trip to Pakistan in 2006. More importantly, the tour to India also showcased his potential as a future captain of Pakistan and his energetic and astute leadership has impressed many people. Also in 2006, Younis made a century in the third Test against England at Headingley. On 22 January 2007, he scored a matchwinning unbeaten 67 in the 4th innings to guide Pakistan to victory over South Africa in Port Elizabeth. The five wicket win levelled the series at 1–1. In 2005, he was one of the 15 nominees for the ICC Test Player of the Year. He is the second fastest Pakistani in terms of innings to reach 4000 Test runs, behind

. Younis reached the milestone in 87 innings, just one more than

took. For his performances in 2008, he was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC. Younis Khan topped the ICC's Test Batting Rankings in February 2009 after an acclaimed innings of 313 in his first Test as captain, in the process of helping save the match for Pakistan. Younis ranking score of 880 is the third highest achieved by a Pakistani batsmen after

(933),

(885) and just ahead of Inzamam-ul-Haq (870).

Captaincy situation

His ODI captaincy first came during West Indies touring third ODI on 22 May 2005, where Pakistan won the match by 22 runs and sealed the series 3–0. He first led Pakistan Test team against the same West Indies tour in 2005, where regular captain Inzamam was given one-Test ban for showing dissent against India. In September 2006, he was offered the position of captain for the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, following the suspension of

Inzamam ul Haq Inzamam-ul-Haq SI ( ur, ; born 3 March 1970), also known as Inzi, is a former Pakistan cricketer and captain of Pakistan national cricket team. He was also professional cricket coach for Pakistan. He was the leading run scorer for Pakistan i ...

. He turned down the offer, stating he did not want to be a "dummy captain". However, on the morning of 7 October 2006, the

announced that Khan would lead his team in the tournament. In the series, Pakistan won only one match and lost two, thus quit from the series in the league as well. Following the resignation of Inzamam after the Pakistan's exit from the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Khan was offered the captaincy on a permanent basis, but he turned it down. He blamed the angry reaction by the Pakistani public to the team's early exit from the tournament. Younis led his team to the ICC World Twenty20 title for the first time by beating

at Lord's. After the match, he stated that that is his last international twenty20 appearance. After Pakistan's 2–1 defeat to

in 2009,

PCB PCB may refer to: Science and technology * Polychlorinated biphenyl, an organic chlorine compound, now recognized as an environmental toxin and classified as a persistent organic pollutant * Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics * ...

chairman Ijaz Butt appointed Younis Khan as the permanent

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of both the

and ODI teams. The appointment became effective as of 27 January 2009. Shortly after accepting the post, Younis was quoted as saying, "I will try and fix things that aren't right at the moment... I want our team to be consistent above all, in everything we do and that will require everyone to put their hands up." He also went on to say that he had an excellent relationship with former captain Shoaib Malik and expected his full support. Younis went on to say that he expects full support from former captain Shoaib Malik whom he called a senior player in the side. Khan resigned as captain on 13 October 2009 due to a

parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...

investigation into match fixing that was alleged to have taken place during his reign. Despite being cleared in the investigation, Khan said "Yes I have submitted my resignation because I am disgusted by these match-fixing allegations made against me and the team." Khan also dropped a catch of

Grant Elliott Grant David Elliott (born 21 March 1979) is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played all formats of the game. Primarily a batting all-rounder, Elliott contributed a man of the match performance to provide entrance to New Zealand's first ever ...

in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy semi-final. He had a hair-line fracture in his finger prior to the match. Later PCB Chairman requested Khan to take back his resignation and Khan did it under his conditions. However, after captaining the team for a three-match series against New Zealand Younis took a break for Test matches in New Zealand and the series in Australia the captaincy was given to

and since then Younis has not captained the national team.

Post-captaincy

Younis's career after he gave up the captaincy continued on a downwards spiral as he was banned on 10 March 2010.

announced that Younis Khan had been banned indefinitely for "infighting which brought down the whole team during the tour of Australia in January". His ban was however overturned three months later in June 2010. Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing, Younis was not selected for the series against England. Pakistan continued to suffer frequent batting collapses against England in Test cricket. This put the Pakistan Cricket Board under pressure to restore Younis to the game. Around the same time, Pakistani batsman and Test Captain

Salman Butt Salman Butt (, born 7 October 1984) is a former Pakistani cricketer and captain who played for Pakistan national cricket team between 2003 and 2010, before getting banned for five years for his involvement in 2010 spot-fixing scandal. He had ...

was suspended on charges of being involved in spot-fixing. This resulted in several former captains including

Moin Khan Muhammad Moin Khan ( ur, ; born 23 September 1971) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer, primarily a wicketkeeper-batsman, who remained a member of the Pakistani national cricket team from 1990 to 2004. He has also captained the ...

and

Zaheer Abbas Syed Zaheer Abbas Kirmani PP, (in Punjabi and Urdu: سید ظہیر عباس کرمانی; born 24 July 1947), popularly known as Zaheer Abbas, is a former Pakistani cricketer. He is among few professional cricketers who used to wear spectacles ...

wanting Younis reinstated to the Test team as captain. However the Pakistan Cricket Board did not clear Younis for selection on the tours of South Africa in 2010. Despite being the first-choice for captaincy, the selecting panel Mohsin Khan announced that

Misbah-ul-Haq ; born 28 May 1974) is a former Pakistani cricket coach and former international cricketer. Misbah captained Pakistan in all formats and is former head coach and former chief selector of the Pakistan national team. A late bloomer, Misbah was a midd ...

was recalled and made captain. Signs of an improvement in the relationship of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Younis began to emerge after the board contacted Younis to potentially be selected for the tour Against South Africa in October 2010. On 31 August 2010, the ''Daily Telegraph'' in its news article mentioned that Younis Khan was associated with alleged match-fixer

Mazhar Majeed Mazhar Majeed (born 1975) is a British sporting agent and bookmaker who came under police investigation in 2010 following reports of cricket ' match fixing' after a '' News of the World'' sting operation. On Saturday 28 August 2010, he was arrest ...

. Younis threatened to sue the ''Daily Telegraph'' over the fact that they posted false information about Younis. The Daily Telegraph admitted that they incorrectly reported that Younis Khan was affiliated with Mazhar Majeed. After a full public apology by the ''Daily Telegraph'', Younis dropped the defamation charges against the newspaper. The Pakistan Cricket Board subsequently announced that they had successfully reconciled with Younis and that they intended to use him on the tour of South Africa in October 2010 as a replacement for the injured

. On his comeback ODI against South Africa, Younis Khan scored 54 runs. Younis then confirmed a statement by Pakistan captain

Rashid Latif Rashid Latif (born 14 October 1968), is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who played for the Pakistan national cricket team in Tests and One Day Internationals from 1992 to 2003 as a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman. He also serve ...

that he had not apologised to the PCB for his actions. As he believed he had committed nothing wrong. He also stated that the PCB chairman

Ijaz Butt Mohammed Ijaz Butt (born 10 March 1938) is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in eight Test matches from 1959 to 1962. A wicket keeper and right-handed opening batsman, he scored 279 runs from his brief Test career at a modest batting av ...

did not ask Younis to apologise either. His on-field comeback went well when he scored 73 runs and anchored Pakistan's innings Pakistan eventually won the fourth ODI against South Africa by 1 wicket. His first Test match in over 12 months also went well when he scored a century in the second innings of the first Test against South Africa this century along with a 168 run partnership with captain

allowed Pakistan to salvage a draw. Younis eventually finished unbeaten on 131. By the end of his innings of 131, it became Pakistan's highest score of all time while batting in the fourth innings with Pakistan at 343/3. Younis played in the two-match Test series against New Zealand and Younis scored 23 in the first innings and was not required to bat in the second innings as Pakistan sealed a 10-wicket victory. During the first innings of the second Test match Younis was given caught incorrectly at short-leg when on 73. In the post-match interview Younis took the view that "umpires are humans they make mistakes but they should reduce the errors they make, also he called for the

Umpire Decision Review System The Decision Review System (DRS), formerly known as the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), is a technology-based system used in cricket to assist the match officials in their decision-making. On-field umpires may choose to consult with the thi ...

to be used in all Test matches so that if an error is made it can be referred". Younis confirmed that he was available to play in all three-formats of the game. He also announced that he was no longer in the race for the captaincy After announcing his comeback to Twenty20 cricket Younis was selected for the three match Twenty20 series against

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in December 2010. Younis played in all three-matches but struggled for form.

Through ranks and records

On 9 July 2014, Younis has been recalled in one day team for the Sri Lanka tour of

. Younis Khan made 177 runs in the first innings of the first Test as Pakistan went on to score 451 runs. He was involved in two hundred-run partnerships as he went on to make a new record for most hundred run partnerships (51), beating the previous record of

(50). His performance was praised as he came in to bat at a very difficult time with the score being just 19/2 and played a major role in helping Pakistan post a commanding total. He was named in the Test XI of the year by Cricbuzz. His knock of 200* against Zimbabwe at Harare was nominated to be one of the best Test batting performance of the year 2013 by ESPNCricinfo. Younis surpassed Sir Donald Bradman's haul in his 101st Test match by scoring his 30th Test century (171*) against Sri Lanka in third and final Test at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in July 2015. With this century, Younis Khan became first batsman in the Test cricket history to score five centuries in the fourth innings of a Test match, surpassing the earlier record of four centuries by

Sunil Gavaskar Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (Marathi pronunciation: uniːl ɡaːʋəskəɾ ; born 10 July 1949), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer who represented India and Bombay from 1971 to 1987. Gavaskar is acknowledged as one of the grea ...

, Ricky Ponting. For his performances in 2015, he was named in the World Test XI by the ICC. Younis also completed 50 centuries and 15,000 runs in first-class cricket with this ton. Pakistan successfully chased a total of 377 runs in fourth innings against Sri Lanka in the third Test match. Younis became 12th batsman to score 30 Test centuries, after Indian legend

first scored 30 Test centuries in 1983.

Legacy and achievements

* First Pakistani to score 10,000+ runs in Test cricket. * Younis became the third Pakistani to reach 8,500 runs in Test cricket on 6 May 2015. He was the 28th Test batsman overall to reach the milestone. * His 34 centuries are the highest number of Test centuries by a Pakistani. * The first Test batsman in history to score five centuries in the fourth innings. * Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq hold the record for most runs as partners in Test cricket for Pakistan. * He has 6 double centuries in Test matches. * Younis became the third Pakistani to score a triple century in Test matches when he scored 313 with in 568 balls with 27 fours and 4 sixes against Sri Lanka in Karachi on 21 February 2009. * Younis is the only Pakistani to score a Test hundred against every other 9 Test playing nations and 12th International player to achieve this milestone. * The 5th fastest batsman to reach 7500 runs, achieving the feat in just 90 matches. * Holds the record of most away centuries by a Pakistani (23), this is the second highest overall. * He is the first (and the only) Pakistani cricketer to take 100 catches in Test matches. * He has now 4000+ runs at number 3 in Test which is most by any Pakistan Cricketer with average in excess of 50's. * Most number of centuries (14) after the age of 35 among Pakistani cricketers. * Younis has scored three consecutive Test hundreds against Australia, a feat only shared by

Herbert Sutcliffe Herbert Sutcliffe (24 November 1894 – 22 January 1978) was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the tw ...

, way back in 1924–25. * Younis has involved in 63 hundred run partnerships in Tests cricket, the same as

Kumar Sangakkara Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...

and 1 more than Brian Lara.

Playing style

Younis is regarded as one of the best players of spin bowling in the world, being particularly strong on the leg side. His favourite and trademark shot is the flick, but it has also been his shortcoming, with him being particularly prone to falling lbw during the early stages of his innings. He is also prone to getting down on one knee and driving extravagantly. But this flamboyance is coupled with grit. One of his main weaknesses is playing away from the body, he also has a tendency to leave straight balls, a trait that has been exploited by bowlers in the past, particularly by the

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

attack. Along with

and the now retired Inzamam-ul-Haq, he formed a formidable middle order batting line up for Pakistan. Younis is a skillful infielder, with a report prepared by

Cricinfo ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a d ...

in late 2005 showing that since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the third highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket (joint with

Andrew Symonds Andrew Symonds (9 June 1975 – 14 May 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, who played all three formats as a batting all-rounder. Commonly nicknamed "Roy", he was a key member of two World Cup winning squads. Symonds played as a r ...

), with the highest success rate.

Contract issue

Younis had been demoted from A category contract to B category contract by

. This sparked a media controversy as analysts, former players and cricket fans expressed outrage against the decision with many stating that a player of Younis' stature does not deserve to be treated like this. Eventually the Board gave in to the pressure and Younis was promoted back to A category.

Retirement

After winning T20I trophy in 2009 ICC World Twenty20, Younis announced that it was his last international Twenty20 appearance by citing, "This is my last Twenty20 game or Pakistan so I am retiring from T20 internationals," Younis said, "I am now 31, I am old for this kind of cricket." No immediate announcement was made as to the identity of his successor as 20-over captain. On 29 July 2009, it was confirmed that Shahid Afridi would succeed him as the

Twenty20 Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. However, after Younis returned to the national setup, he announced that he was willing to play Twenty20 cricket for Pakistan as a senior batsman. On 11 November 2015, Younis announced his retirement from ODI format saying that the opening match of the Pakistan against England will be his last one. He scored only 9 runs in last ODI.Younis Khan Played 264 One Day matches scoring 7240 runs. Younis is currently sixth on the list of highest run getters for Pakistan in ODI cricket. He scored seven hundreds and 48 fifties with an average of 31.34. At the age of 39, Younis announced his intentions to retire from international cricket after the West Indies tour. The announcement came just after two days, where Test captain

also announced his retirement in the same tour. The critics cited the retirement of two Pakistani greats at the same time is as ''The End of an era, end of a subculture'', revealing the Pakistan cricket will have to find new faces for their future successes. The stats revealed that what will Pakistan miss after their retirements as well. However, in a conversation in Karachi, Younis opened his idea about the retirement, where he can extend his international career, but only if the Pakistan board and team needs him to do so. The news sudden many of the global fans, and some said he should retire with the dignity and some said he should extend the career for two more years. With that, on 23 April 2017, Younis confirmed his retirement at the end of West Indies tour with Misbah, by citing he will retire even if he scores "a hundred in every innings of every match against West Indies". Younis played his last international match against West Indies on 10 May 2017 at Roseau. He scored 18 runs in the first innings and 35 runs in the second innings. However, Pakistan won the match by 101 runs and sealed the series 2–1. The retirement of Younis and Misbah at the same time gave big farwell to both of them and ESPNcricinfo quoted their retirement with ''#MisYou''.

Post-retirement

On 11 May 2017, ACB announced that Younis Khan will be next coach of

Afghanistan national cricket team The Afghanistan men's national team ( ps, د افغانستان کرکټ ملي لوب‌‌‌‌‌‌ډله, fa, تیم ملی کریکت افغانستان) represents Afghanistan in international cricket. Cricket has been played in Afgha ...

. Later on, this offer was declined by Younis Khan. In May 2019, Younis Khan was close to taking up a role as the Pakistan's Under-19 coach but both, PCB & Khan, failed to reach to an agreement. One of the sticking points had to do with finances, while the other was with the job profile, as the PCB had proposed Younis only be a mentor and a coach but he wanted a say in selection as well. On 9 June 2020, the PCB appointed Younis Khan as their batting coach for Pakistan's tour to England. His contract as batting coach extended in November 2020 till T-20 Cricket World Cup 2022. However, in June 2021, he and

part ways only six months after he accepted a two-year contract. It was reported Younis had an argument with Pakistani bowler Hassan Ali. Later, Younis confirmed the spat by stating "Hassan Ali apologised to me, and I had forgiven him." On 2 April 2022, Younis Khan was named as the batting consultant of Afghanistan on a temporary contract for a training camp which lasted 15 days in the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

Awards

On 23 March 2010, Younis was awarded the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

by President of Pakistan

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakistan ...

. On 23 March 2018, he was awarded the

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...