Karachi - When Younis Khan hangs up his bat at the end of
Pakistan's tour of the West Indies, it will likely be with a final Test
milestone against his name.
Younis is just 23 runs away from becoming the first Pakistan
player to score 10 000 Test runs.
With the first of three Tests against the West Indies
beginning on Friday in Kingston, Jamaica, few would bet against him marking his
swansong with a final foray into the record books.
Since his debut in 2000 against Sri Lanka, he proved his
ability to adapt to different conditions by scoring centuries in every Test
playing nation, including double hundreds in India and England.
His batting average of 53.06 is the highest by any Pakistani
who has played 10 Tests or more.
But for all Younis's record-breaking individual
achievements, former team-mate and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said his former
captain should be remembered for his selfless personality and team ethic.
"To me Younis should be renamed 'Unique' Khan for his
selflessness and honesty towards Pakistan cricket and the team," said
Shoaib, who retired in 2011.
Renowned as a fighter at the crease, Younis often produced
his greatest performances with his back against the wall.
Of his 34 tons, an all-time Test record five have been
scored in the fourth innings.
His 2005 match-winning 267 and 84 not out against India in
Bangalore came after a string of low scores saw him battling to avoid being
dropped.
Younis's greatest achievement as captain was winning the 2009 world Twenty20 championship in England.
And yet that came just weeks after Pakistan cricket had been
thrown into disarray by the gun attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, an
incident which means the national side still plays their home matches in the
UAE.
Younis said he wanted to be remembered as a team player.
"When I am retired and when I am not in the dressing
room, I want youngsters to remember me as a role model," he said.
"I want them to remember me as a player and batsman who
always played for his country."
Hailing from Mardan in the north-west Khybe Pakhtunkhwa,
Younis's career was moulded in Karachi.
Younis scored a hundred in his first Test against Sri Lanka
at Rawalpindi in 2000 and went on to record 33 more, with a triple ton and
three double hundreds.
His most recent was a typical unbeaten 175 ground out over
more than seven hours as Pakistan crawled to 315 against Australia in Sydney in
January.
His Test best 313 against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2009 is the third highest individual score for Pakistan behind Hanif Mohammad's 337 and Inzamam-ul-Haq's 329.