In the early part of last decade, the Pakistani cricket
followers were obsessed with two most promising talents named Yousuf Youhanna
(Now Mohammad Yousuf) and Imran Nazir. Both these batsmen offered artistic and
adventurous stroke-play. More often they were greeted with loud cheer whenever
they used to come out to bat.
The Pakistanis are the worshipper of artistry, romance and
adventure. They are not interested to waste their time and money on those
cricketers who are unable to script elegance and thrill and when it comes to
choosing a batsman, surely that willow-wielder has to be either like Zaheer
Abbas, Saeed Anwar or Javed Miandad. Sadly, Younis Khan failed to fulfill the
criteria of a Pakistani cricket fan, and thus, he was not their darling.
Again, Younis Khan wasn’t a technically gifted batsman. He
had a plethora of chinks in his armor, his backlift was not perfect. It always
came from the third man and gully while his defense and footwork was not astute
as well. He did score fifties and hundreds despite such technical deficiencies,
but they never showed up consistently and when it mattered the most.
The Pakistani cricket fans used to lose their interest from
watching the match further whenever Younis Khan walked out to bat at number
three. He was trolled by the fans and critics and his repeated failures in the
national team made many of the critics lose their faith in him.
But the story of Younis Khan is pretty different at the
moment. In 2015, he is one of the best batsmen in the history of Pakistan cricket.
He was involved in an epic run chase in the fourth innings of a Test match and
helped Pakistan to notch up an astonishing victory to win and with that, the
Test series as well.
So far, he has scored five hundreds in the fourth innings of
a Test match which is a world record. Younis' fourth-innings average is 57.40,
the third-best among all batsmen who've scored at least 1000 fourth-innings
runs.
He has played hundred Test matches for Pakistan, he has
scored more than 8000 Test runs, with a batting average over 50, he has a
triple hundred to his name, a career-saving and match-winning double ton
against India in India, a brilliant rearguard partnership to clinch the famous
Greenwash against England, he led Pakistan to win the World Twenty20 title in 2009
and his batting heroics were instrumental in nailing the Australians in the
Test series last year. Younis’ contributions for Pakistan cricket has been
immense.
But, the story of Younis Khan wasn’t meant to end in a lame
fashion, but it deserves to end in a glorifying manner. Cricket fans and
critics, who have followed Younis’ career should get inspired and surprised as
well. It has ended so many times, but despite all those ugly politics, personal
trauma and lean-patches; Younis Khan has come a long way and it has only been
possible because of Younis’ courage and willpower.
Younis Khan belongs to those rare breeds of cricketers who
challenges the very best in the business with the help of sheer hard work,
courage and willpower. Such cricketers are blessed with enormous self-belief
and mental strength. Their hard work helps them to overcome their technical
shortcomings, courage, and mental strength help them to conquer adversity and
transform their weaknesses into strengths while willpower aids them to move
forward through the troubled waters.
Rahul Dravid once said, “Most top athletes have good
technique, sound strategies and a reasonable level of fitness. But in
competition their performance is controlled by the mind, their ability to get
into the right frame of mind consistently and regularly, day in and day out.
Your state of mind determines how well you combine and use your fitness,
technical skills and games strategies”.
Younis Khan’s technique has not changed that much, but still
he has survived the test of times as because his mind determines his
gamesmanship and this ploy has also has helped him to conquer the tough times.
Certainly, Younis Khan is the symbol of courage and hope.
He’s one of the greatest icons in the history of Pakistan cricket.
Note: This article has been published in Sportskeeda on 10/07/2015 Younis Khan - Pakistan cricket's symbol of courage and hope
Note: This article has been published in Sportskeeda on 10/07/2015 Younis Khan - Pakistan cricket's symbol of courage and hope
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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