Younis Khan

Younis Khan made his debut in Pak v Sri at Rawalpindi, 1st Test, 1999-2000, where Younis made the second innings count – coming in at No.7, he made a great 107. Younis has also demonstrated great knocks in matches since, including the one against NZ that shall rank as the best ever Younis Khan Ton! Though that’s not his highest score, the way he made his runs in that test at Auckland in 2000-01 was stupendous. Disappointing performances followed his earlier success, as he failed to convert good starts into big scores. Although a slow starter earlier in his career, Khan has again made his mark. The tour of India in 2005, for which Younis was elevated to vice-captain, laid the groundwork for his emergence as a force in Pakistan cricket by clocking up a match winning 267 in the second test.

The Khans in Pakistani and World Cricket have always been special. Majid Khan, Imran Khan, Mohsin Khan are some of those gems. The Latest addition to the KHAN Era has been Younis Khan. Starting from Majid Khan, one of the Finest Opening batsmen, Imran Khan – a great leader, to the ever-dependable wicket-keeper Moin Khan, the KHANS have overwhelmed all of us cricket fanatics with fantastic cricket over the decades gone past and left to come.

The Pakistani team will be high on confidence after their fine series win over the Ashes champions. The boys have done quite well over the previous two-three seasons, although they haven’t won a lot. They lost 0-3 in Australia last year, but the experience hardened them for future battles, and the results showed on their tour of India.

Hundred on debut is always an epoch-making event, and Younis Khan knows that best! Younis Khan had a dream debut against the Sri Lankans in the First Test at Rawalpindi in 1999-00. After a not-so-great performance in the first Innings, Younis made the second innings count – coming in at No.7, he made a sublime 107. Five other Hundreds have come since; one would consider his Hundred in Sri Lanka (116 at Galle in 2000) as one of his best knocks, as it came in the Island of Spin.

However, the one against NZ shall rank as the best ever Younis Khan Ton! Though that’s not his highest score, the way he made his runs in that test at Auckland in 2000-01 was stupendous. He missed a rare double of hundreds in both Innings. He mad 91 in the first Innings and an unbeaten 149 in the second. That really set him up as an established middle order batsman for Pakistan.

Sadly, later his poor scores, coupled with some injury problems catapulted him out of the Pakistani team for a year. He had some bad days, so many in between some great days, that Pakistan decided to throw away the excess baggage by crossing his name from the team names for a few matches.

The saddest part of Younis Khan’s test career of 29 tests so far has been that he has frittered away the starts he had, as Test cricket is about converting the starts into big scores. He has made a great comeback into the Pakistan team, showing grit by scoring an exemplary Hundred against the Sri Lankans in the ongoing Test Series in Pakistan, October 2004.

His ODI career also kicked off well, he made the debut against Sri Lanka at Karachi in 1999. He made a good debut, coming at no.7 and a well-made 46. He made his first hundred after missing it a couple of times - A superb 144 against the minnows Hong Kong in the Asia cup 2004.

He has again, failed to capitalize on his good knocks of fifty plus (20 times he has scored fifty and not made it to the Hundred Mark); but then again, his batting position in the Team was never standard. Having started at No.3, he lost that position quickly and since then he has been batting down the order. Hence he could not do full justice to his career of 100 plus ODIs. He averages 32, which is quite good for a middle order batsman who comes more to play with few overs to spare.

Early in his career, this Pathan was quite a slow starter of his Innings, but he has been pivotal in his own growth, he has worked on his technique, and has started scoring quick runs by adapting to the needs of ODI cricket, the crux of which is quick runs and rotation of strike.

A typical Younis Khan Wagon Wheel will show supreme command over the off side, the area where the exquisite drives cut across the fielders at cover and point, and crash into the boundary. He is unique too, the classic cover drive and square drives come in the old-fashioned way - the down-on-one-knee style.

Younis and Youhana provide the much needed impetus and strength to the Pakistan top order. Together they have been the Core of the batting tribe, and with the rich experience of skipper Inzamam, the terrific trio has been serving Pakistan in the recent episodes of Pakistan Cricketing videos from the beginning of this millennium. This 27-year-old cricketer is a stroke maker with all the strokes in his “quiver”, making him a dangerous batsman for the opposition.

He is a very fine fielder who holds the record for maximum number of catches as a Substitute Fielder (4 against Bangladesh in the 2002 Asian Test Championship). He has also done some wicket keeping for Pakistan, most recently in the Paktel cup in Pakistan.

The stamping of the KHAN Official Seal in the Annals of Pakistan Cricket has signaled the arrival of a prolific player. cricpoint.com wishes Younis Khan the very best to take on the mantle of Supremacy of the Khan Race and to spread their wings for the years to come.

Younis Khan slammed a sparkling unbeaten 199 as Pakistan gained control of the first Test against archrivals India after laying the foundation for a mammoth first innings total at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday.

The reliable Younis gave a fine exhibition of stroke play to notch up his tenth Test century while Mohammad Yousuf ( Yousuf Youhana ) was five runs short of his ton as the hosts relied on a solid batting display to reach a commanding 526/2 .
Younis Khan slammed a sparkling unbeaten 147 as Pakistan gained control of the first Test against archrivals India after laying the foundation for a mammoth first innings total at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday.

The reliable Younis gave a fine exhibition of stroke play to notch up his tenth Test century while Mohammad Yousuf ( Yousuf Youhana ) was five runs short of his ton as the hosts relied on a solid batting display to reach a commanding 326/2 at close.

Inzamam-ul-Haq

Right from the streets of Multan, a small sleepy town in Pakistan known for its horrendously hot weather, came trudging into the cricket ground a big boy, a chubby, cheeky boy carrying the bat like a bludgeon, he strode the aisles way back in 1991-92. Now that boy has become the BIG MAN of Cricket. And its time to compose the odes, the praises for this chocolate faced burly Sultan; for he has treaded the grounds of Cricket unlike no other! Ten Thousand Runs in ODIs! My god, that’s a tad too many, right? Who would have thought he was creeping up to the mark? While all eyes are on the bog shots like Sachin and Lara, Inzamam is a player who likes to play the Sleeping Giant. Ten thousand runs, and imagine if he had run them in singles. Well, that would have been the diet prescription for this burly big man, but Inzamam happens to be a free scoring stroke maker. So sadly that prescription did not help at all, in reducing his belly size! And mind you, Inzy is only the second ever batsman to cross the massive mark after Sachin Tendulkar. It has taken 322 matches for Inzamam-ul-Haq. The road to this landmark has not been easy! His test ventures may not be something you can talk of all day, but in the One Dayers, one can’t pass over a World XI without this burly and cheeky player. Inzy was one of those street cricketers in the gallis of Multan, spotted by that great Pakistani Sportsman Imran Khan. He did a Nostradamus by predicting that this bright young lad of 17 would one day strike Gold and become one of the best batsman of all time! And the prophecy did indeed hold good! Who would forget his great one-day knocks, especially the way he pulverizes the opposition bowlers making a total mockery as though they were mere club bowlers? With his stepping out to the spinners with his splendid footwork… he would make many a Dancer proud. His commanding personality, the towering sixes and the fours hit with such class, timing and power that one would associate with only him. He is an unique combination of aggression and style. His confidence when he walks in to bat is too good. Every one of his knocks was a true Gem of its Own! Each one would be studded with his trademark square cutes, the fierce pulls, the dance down the track sixes, the odd risky single now and then, and of course the comical running between the wickets. He is on his day, the best batsman in the Pakistani team. The reason he took more matches to reach this landmark is outrageously simple: mostly he caused his own downfall. Suicidal run outs, disastrous strokes; laziness and lapse of concentration were the main reasons for him getting out more rather than the bowler bowls a great ball. Self-destructive he was; had he been more careful in his approach, we certainly would have seen more blows from the willow of this cricketer. In order to change this look, of late he has gone in for the rugged look, sporting a beard. Whatever he does, he is still our Prankish Big Boy of Cricket. Truly a player whose record is to be commended and salutations from me and all the fans of cricket for a truly fabulous effort. Wishes Inzamam-ul-Haq all the very best with his captaincy and batting

Virender Sehwag

A man and his bat carry the hopes of a nation



Just when India were worrying about how to fill the giant shoes of Sachin Tendulkar when he retires, along came Virender Sehwag, who not just bats like him, but looks like him, too! An extremely powerful hitter and timer of the ball, Sehwag initially resisted attempts at opening the batting. To his credit, not only did he agree to do so, he made a great success of it.



Ever since his first match for India at the International level, Virender Sehwag has batted only one way. Full of domination, full of power. When it is his day, luck just seems to stop favouring his opponents. When lady luck is on Sehwag's side, watching him bat is one of the most dominating sites in World Cricket today. He never seems to show any difference in the way he plays in One Day Cricket or Test Cricket. Very strong in cutting and flicking quick bowlers and intimidating spinners with powerplay makes him a potentially hostile batsman

When N.A. Sharma, a coach at a government-sponsored cricket center on the outskirts of the Indian capital of New Delhi, first met Virender Sehwag, he found little that impressed him. Sehwag was a 13-year-old local boy, son of a grain hawker, who lived in a house stuffed with siblings, uncles, aunts and 16 cousins. He had no dazzling skills—but was desperate to learn. Sharma was bowling to Sehwag one afternoon when dusk fell, and the coach suggested they call it a day. Sehwag refused: he wanted to perfect his stroke. "The other boys were sitting on the side gossiping," Sharma recalls, "but here was Sehwag, still batting. From that day onward, I told the other boys: 'Virender is going to play big cricket.'"

Full Name: Virender Sehwag
Born: 20 October 1978, Delhi
Major Teams: Delhi, Leicestershire, ACC Asian XI, ICC World XI, India
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break
Test Debut: India Vs South Africa at Bloemfontein, 1st Test, 2001/02
ODI Debut: India Vs Pakistan at Mohali, Pepsi Cup, 1998/99




Few will remember Sehwag’s one-day debut, against Pakistan at Mohali in the year 1999, when Shoaib trapped him lbw for 1 and was then hammered in the three overs he bowled. He could have played in the 1999 world cup - he made the 19 probables but not the final cut. After two years, he was recalled for the match against Zimbabwe in Kanpur. In the eleven matches that followed, he scored 19, 58, 2, 11, 4, 2, 0, 12, 33, 27 and 0 with an average of 14 which was hardly enough for a middle order batsman to hold his place in a team which had lots of exciting players like Badani, Kaif, Laxman, Sodhi and others around waiting for a chance. 2nd august match against Kiwis in the coca-cola cup held in Sri Lanka changed everything for this diminutive middle order batsman including his batting position.
Required to chase an imposing 265, after a sloppy performance in the field, India powered to a seven wicket victory over New Zealand, as Virender Sehwag, opening the innings in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, thumped the seventh fastest century in the history of one-day cricket and the second fastest by an Indian.
Even as Sehwag blazed away to the 68-ball century, the sixth fastest in one-day internationals, the selectors did not pick him in the 16- member team for the three Test series against Sri Lanka which started a week after the finals. "One-day cricket is entirely different from Tests," reasoned BCCI secretary and selection committee convener JY Lele." Sehwag was included in the Indian team purely as a one-day player. At any cost this century is not going to help him make it to the Test squad ". He was run out for 4 in the finals against Sri Lanka.

Sehwag is an attacking batsman and it was an attacking innings that he produced against the Proteas. Nine years ago, Pravin Amre had achieved a similar distinction on a lively track at Durban but then was lost to Indian cricket soon because none backed him. Credit here ought to be given to Sourav Ganguly, who was the most vocal supporter of Sehwag. The Indian skipper wanted Sehwag to be retained at all costs after the one dayers and the selectors relented after much thought.

The media focus and the adulation from millions of people has not affected Sehwag's approach to life and cricket. He has remained as approachable and warm as ever with his greatest support coming from the Delhi dressing room. "He's a simple soul and I know he will remain so," said the then Delhi captain Vijay Dahiya with authority.

Occasionally, Sehwag goes back to his old neighborhood of Najafgarh on the outskirts of New Delhi, distributes some pocket money to the local boys, instructs them in square cuts and backfoot punches, and lets them in on the key to his success. "I didn't have any connections," he lectures. "I just worked hard and played well. If you are talented, you will definitely get a chance."

Ravikant Shukla and Sarfraz Ahmed at the toss of the Under-19 World Cup final



Ravikant Shukla is clean bowled



Pakistan's Under-19s celebrate victory



Pakistan’s players celebrate after beating India in the U-19 World Cup final



Pakistan's players on a lap of honour

We knew we could defend 109 - Ahmed. Victory dedicated to seniors

As has traditionally been the case with Pakistan, it was left to their bowling attack to make up for their batsmen's failings and conjure up a remarkable triumph in the final of the Under-19 World Cup against India in Colombo. Having been bowled out for a measly 109, the right-arm, left-arm pace combination of Anwar Ali and Jamshed Ahmed, decimated a strong Indian batting line-up for only 71.

Seven wickets in the final, including six inside the first four overs, and 29 wickets between them through the tournament ensured they made up for an early loss to Bangladesh as well as only two fifties from their batsmen in the entire tournament. Ahmed, who took a wicket with the first ball of the Indian innings, said the start was crucial. "Me and Anwar just told our batsmen before the game began that we wanted a minimum total of 150 to defend. If we got that we were confident we could defend it. Even when we got out for 109, we thought we could do it if we got a couple of their batsmen out early." He added, "Although the Indian batting was strong, only two or three of their batsmen scored in the tournament so we knew once we got them, we could run through the others."

Ahmed, from Lahore, is one of the few in the squad who has played at first-class level. Unsurprisingly, given that he bowls left-arm, Wasim Akram's name hasn't been too far away. "Obviously he is a huge idol because he was such a great bowler. To be honest, I didn't know I had a similar run-up and action until I was told by a couple of the officials there. They were ex-internationals and said I reminded them a little of him."

Of his partnership with Ali, Ahmed said, "I had never met him before we played U-19 but we hit it off immediately. I enjoy sharing the new ball with him and hopefully we can both open the bowling for Pakistan in the future."

It wouldn't be unreasonable then to expect Ali - the tournament's second-highest wicket-taker with 15 - to name Waqar Younis as his idol, given the impact the two Ws made on young men through Pakistan. Surprisingly, though, he chooses Umar Gul as his role model. "I met him when he was working at the National Cricket Academy last year on his back injury and I watched him bowl a lot. I watch a lot of his videos and it's not because he is a Pathan but because he is a good bowler."

Ali is not unlike Gul physically; tall, thin and a little gawky. And despite being based in Karachi, he is, like Gul, originally a Pathan. And like his idol, he too took to cricket with a hard ball, late. "I played only tape ball cricket till last year. I joined the Customs Academy eventually and was given great help by (former Test pacer and current coach) Jalaluddin." At the NCA, he was like many others, given invaluable assistance from Aaquib Javed. "He really put in a lot of effort with me, with my run-up, my action and my seam position."

Another mid-90s superstar - wicketkeeper and captain Moin Khan - had an impact on the career of Sarfraz Ahmed, the U-19 captain. Like Moin, Sarfraz is also a wicketkeeper and was touted after the tournament by coach Mansoor Rana as a future potential captain for Pakistan. "I have grown up watching Moin Khan and really like the way he plays and keeps. I want to emulate his achievements. Leading the side was a huge challenge but an enjoyable one," he said. "A lot of people came to watch the final and supported us. We were shocked after we lost the Bangladesh game but we rallied really well after that."

Although he didn't score too many runs - 64 in four innings - Sarfraz picked up 15 dismissals. And, with unwitting irony, he dedicated the victory to the Pakistan senior team. "We were all disappointed to learn that our senior team had lost the ODI series. We all said before the final we would try our best to win the tournament to make up for the loss."

Two years ago, Pakistan's first U-19 title win in Bangladesh had also been built on their bowlers; Riaz Afridi, Tariq Mahmood and Mansoor Amjad took 53 wickets with a combination of pace and spin and made up for a lack of batting heroes. Only Afridi from that group has played Test cricket while Amjad, Khalid Latif, Zulqernain Haider have hovered around the national squad without being selected. With plans to fast-track the current team by involving them in the forthcoming Twenty20 Cup and next season's Quaid-e-Azam trophy, Pakistan will hope more players can graduate from this group to the national squad.

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