It was a sad end to an unfulfilled One-day International career. Younis Khan might have conquered the Test format but the former Pakistan captain never quite mastered the 50-over version of the game, and when he decided to hang his One-day International boots after 266 appearances, even the most ardent of the middle-order batsman’s fans must have heaved a sigh of relief. The 37-year-old Younis failed to make his one-day swansong a memorable one as he fell cheaply in Pakistan’s six-wicket triumph against England in their first ODI in Abu Dhabi last Wednesday. Much has been said and written about his sudden decision to quit with several former stalwarts and even PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan expressing disappointment over the fact that Younis announced his retirement just hours before the first ODI.
It certainly wasn’t the best way to say goodbye but knowing Younis it wasn’t that surprising either. Over the years, we have known Younis as a man who wants to live life on his own terms. Many of us respect him for that. While his ODI retirement opens up an opportunity for some young gun to consolidate his spot in Pakistan’s fragile middle-order, it also throws a challenge to national selectors to find a suitable replacement. Even though Younis never managed to find as much success in one-day cricket as he did in Tests, he still amassed more than seven thousand runs with seven tons and 48 fifties. With Misbah-ul-Haq also out of Pakistan’s ODI picture, Pakistan now need to groom reliable batters in the lead up to World Cup 2019 in England. It is going to be a Herculean task considering the fact that batting has almost always been Pakistan’s Achilles’ heel. Meanwhile, it is hoped that runs will keep flowing from the bat of Younis Khan in the Test format in which the Mardan-born player recently surpassed the legendary Javed Miandad as Pakistan’s highest run-getter of all time. Younis has established himself as a
modern-day great in Test cricket, being the only Pakistani to score over 9,000 runs. He is fit and his form is good and one can safely say that he can go on to become the first Pakistani batsman to join the elite 10,000-run club. One can also safely assume that unlike his ODI stint, Younis’s Test career, when it ends, will be a highly fulfilling one.