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Record breaking century maker Younis Khan yesterday said he considered skipping the Test series against Australia after being left out of the preceding one-day series. |
The 36-year-old right-hander smashed an unbeaten 103 as Pakistan reached 286-2 declared in their second innings in the first Test, a lead of 437 before Australia slumped to at 59-4 at close on the fourth day.
Australia still need another 379 to win or bat throughout 90 overs today.
Younis’s 26th hundred and his second in the match helped him overhaul Inzamam-ul Haq’s record of most centuries by a Pakistani batsman. He also became only the seventh Pakistan player to score twin hundreds in a Test and the first to do so against Australia. But it would not have happened at all had Younis decided not to play the Tests after being snubbed for the one-day series which Pakistan lost 3-0.
“I had thought that it was easy to quit, it was an easy option but I have never chosen the easier option in my life,” said Younis after his twin hundreds. Younis said his family and friends motivated him to play the Tests. “Everyone backed me. It was a bad episode but my friends and family motivated me saying that this is the time you can have a hundred and beat Inzi’s record and I didn’t have a hundred against Australia so I took that challenge,” said Younis.
“At one point I was thinking not to go for the Test matches because Australia are a top ranking team.”
Younis said he always stayed positive.
“It all comes when you think positively, and I was motivated by my family and now I am a proud Pakistani beating Inzi’s record.”
Clarke praises ‘gentleman’ Younis
Australian skipper Michael Clarke praised record century maker Younis as a ‘gentleman of the game’ after the Pakistani notched a century in each innings in the first Test.
Younis hit an unbeaten 103, following up his 106 in the first knock, to help Pakistan set Australia a big 438-run target to win in Dubai. Australia were tottering at 59-4, still needing 379 runs or bat all through the fifth day on Sunday to avoid a defeat in the two-match series.
Clarke praised Younis as a good player.
“Younis is a very good player and has been for a long time. I found out yesterday this is only his 93rd Test match, I thought he’d played a lot more than that. “He’s one of the gentlemen of our game, a class player,” said Clarke of the Pakistani batsman. Younis became the seventh Pakistani batsmen to score twin centuries in a Test and also surpassed Inzamam-ul Haq as the leading century maker for his country with 26.
Clarke showed disappointment over his team’s failure. “We probably haven’t had the best of games so far. Dave Warner was the stand-out with the bat in the first innings,” said Clarke of the opener who scored 133 in Australian first innings of 303.
Pakistan had made 454 runs in the first knock, taking a 151-run lead.
“Mitch Johnson bowled pretty well in the first innings on a really flat wicket. But if you look at all facets of the game we’ve been outplayed at this stage. “We’ve got to fight our backsides off tomorrow and see what happens. Credit needs to go to Pakistan. They’ve played really well. They batted really well in these conditions and unfortunately we haven’t been able to do the same.”
Clarke, who recovered after a hamstring injury sustained on the tour of Zimbabwe in August, failed in both the innings, scoring only two and three in the match.
“I am really disappointed with my personal performance in this Test match at the moment,” said Clarke, Test cricket’s highest run getter with 1,093 in 2013.
“I am not looking to blame anybody else or criticise anybody else. I’ve always loved the challenge of facing spin bowling. I’ve been out twice to spin bowling in this Test match,” said Clarke.
“There’s no time between now and the second Test match so I have just got to keep working my backside off in the nets and then when I get another opportunity I need to make sure I bat for as long as I can.”
The second Test starts in Abu Dhabi from October 30.