What are some of Younis Khan's heroic Test innings?

[malikali]

please note that this thread is not created to demean Younis khan.
I want to know if anybody remembers a heroic innings played by Younis khan, where usual collapse happens, whole team is gone but Younis khan stays on the crease?
Gist of the thread is he has been good asset but I dont think he can be batting role model.

 

[Ab Fan]

Bangalore 2005
Oval 2016
Headingley 2006

 

[Slog]

Bangalore 2005
Oval 2016
Headingley 2006

Auckland 2001
Pallekelle 2015
Dubai 2014 v Australia
Even a double century against Zimbabwe the team was 20 for 3 and in line for an embarassing defeAt before his intervention

Also I’m sure for him personally the 2000 debut century against SL would be special

 

[Ab Fan]

Auckland 2001
Pallekelle 2015
Dubai 2014 v Australia
Even a double century against Zimbabwe the team was 20 for 3 and in line for an embarassing defeAt before his intervention

Also I’m sure for him personally the 2000 debut century against SL would be special

Yes, a lot of innings. I was mentioning the truly heroic knocks on top of my mind. I recall that fourth inning run chase vs SL also.

 

[Ab Fan]

please note that this thread is not created to demean Younis khan.
I want to know if anybody remembers a heroic innings played by Younis khan, where usual collapse happens, whole team is gone but Younis khan stays on the crease?
Gist of the thread is he has been good asset but <B>I dont think he can be batting role model</B>.

Why not! He taught the world you can become a great player even if you don't have all the skill sets in the world through grit, sheer determination and consistency, all of which Younis batting had.

 

[malikali]

Bangalore 2005, Misbah did 184 too.
Oval 2016, Azhar 49, Asad Shafiq 109
Headingley 2006, Mohammad you 192

Still I would take these innings as great but comparing these three instances, we have several cases where whole team collapsed including Younis Khan.

 

[msb314]

Bangalore 2005, Misbah did 184 too.
Oval 2016, Azhar 49, Asad Shafiq 109
Headingley 2006, Mohammad you 192

Still I would take these innings as great but comparing these three instances, we have several cases where whole team collapsed including Younis Khan.

That was Inzy - not Misbah

 

[malikali]

Do you really think that Mohammad Yousuf's 51, Faisal Iqbal's 42, Moin Khan's 47 is a collapse when total is 346 and Younis khans contribution is 91?

 

[malikali]

That was Inzy - not Misbah

yes, you are right, it was Inzamam-ul-Haq.

 

[Abdullah719]

There are many.

 

[Rana]

This is a man who could most definitely get into every Test team in the world during his peak years.

He had a knack for marathon innings, excellent fitness and an excellent close/ slip catcher.

 

[shamaan]

This is a man who could most definitely get into every Test team in the world during his peak years.

He had a knack for marathon innings, excellent fitness and an excellent close/ slip catcher.

I agree he used to get runs even when he was down

 

[sweep_shot]

My favorite innings of him was his double century in England (2016 series).

 

[shamaan]

My favorite innings of him was his double century in England (2016 series).

Was this when he was jumping around ?

 

[sweep_shot]

Was this when he was jumping around ?

 

[Mamoon]

His most underrated innings was the 200 in Zimbabwe in 2013 where he saved Pakistan from a whitewash.

Losing a Test in Zimbabwe was humiliating enough, but getting whitewashed would have been unprecedented humiliation, and Misbah needs to thank him for that.

 

[Mamoon]

The 2018 at The Oval was a highly impactful knock in the context of the series, but a lot of things went in his favor.

He was a walking wicket up until that point and you cannot keep a good player quiet for so long. He was bound to have some luck at some point and the Law of Averages were in his favor.

It was a flat pitch with the sun out, and Cook didn’t attack him first up and instead served him Moeen’s pies which allowed him to settle quickly.

A lot of things were in his favor but he did well to make full use of it which is something that he did frequently to his credit.

Not my cup of tea though, I will never agree that he wasn’t a vastly inferior batsman to MoYo.

 

[Rana]

Is there any way to share the highest 2nd Innings batting averages (minimum 4000 runs) stats here? Very intrigued to see where YK stands in that respect

 

[shamaan]

That cover drive at 178 wow

 

[ManFan]

The 2018 at The Oval was a highly impactful knock in the context of the series, but a lot of things went in his favor.

He was a walking wicket up until that point and you cannot keep a good player quiet for so long. He was bound to have some luck at some point and the Law of Averages were in his favor.

It was a flat pitch with the sun out, and Cook didn’t attack him first up and instead served him Moeen’s pies which allowed him to settle quickly.

A lot of things were in his favor but he did well to make full use of it which is something that he did frequently to his credit.

Not my cup of tea though, I will never agree that he wasn’t a vastly inferior batsman to MoYo.

Your assertion that it was a flat pitch has been proven incorrect many times.

The pitch was considerably more bouncy and fast than the three beforehand. There was even an image that was placed on Sky that supported this.

He was only a walking wicket because nobody had the gall to tell him to stop flamingo dancing on the crease. He himself says that he got a call from Mohammad Azharuddin to stop doing so and finally did. Which just shows the ineptitude of the management to tell him a basic observation.

Law of Averages I agree. By the end, he was good only for 1 out of 8 innings to produce a substantial score.

 

[shamaan]

Is there any way to share the highest 2nd Innings batting averages (minimum 4000 runs) stats here? Very intrigued to see where YK stands in that respect

Hes got to be in the top 10 defo in that aspect

 

[shamaan]

The 2018 at The Oval was a highly impactful knock in the context of the series, but a lot of things went in his favor.

He was a walking wicket up until that point and you cannot keep a good player quiet for so long. He was bound to have some luck at some point and the Law of Averages were in his favor.

It was a flat pitch with the sun out, and Cook didn’t attack him first up and instead served him Moeen’s pies which allowed him to settle quickly.

A lot of things were in his favor but he did well to make full use of it which is something that he did frequently to his credit.

Not my cup of tea though, I will never agree that he wasn’t a vastly inferior batsman to MoYo.

that's not luck that's cooks tactics.even if it was a flat pitch scoring 200 against anderson and broad I belive is great effort

 

[skhanmac]

That 250 odd against India in India in 2005 is the first inning that comes to mind.. That knock was so important to ensure we come back with 1-1 series. Also, let's not forget the bowling effort on Day 5 of that test match was just phenomenal as well.

 

[Rana]

I see a poster running rampant here once again trying to devalue a batting legend of Pakistan, as he usually does for quite a few of our well established cricketers.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Your assertion that it was a flat pitch has been proven incorrect many times.

The pitch was considerably more bouncy and fast than the three beforehand. There was even an image that was placed on Sky that supported this.

He knows that. He was tagged a dozen times to that image yet he is still spreading lies and his toxic agenda.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

I hope this shuts up some pathetic people:

The man has scored more 100s than anyone in 4th innings in history of the game. Undeniable fact.

 

[Rana]

So as a 2nd innings batsman, Younis khan has 11 hundreds @56 runs per innings, which is higher than his first innings average.

His 2nd innings batting average is 5 runs higher than Inzimam's and 11 runs more than Javed Miandad, who a certain poster here claims is the only batting legend Pakistan has produced.

YK's 2nd inning's batting average is higher than the following retired legends of cricket:

Sachin Tendulkar
Jacque Kallis
Ricky Ponting
Alistair Cook
Vivian Richards
Kevin Pietersen
Greame Smith
Hashim Amla

 

[shamaan]

I hope this shuts up some pathetic people:

The man has scored more 100s than anyone in 4th innings in history of the game. Undeniable fact.

Wow jheeze

 

[Hasan123]

The Oval knock against England. He had a poor series yet he found a way to play a gem of a knock.

 

[Mamoon]

Runs in fourth innings is an overrated stat. Test matches are won in the first two innings.

Batsmen who dominate the first half of a match usually end up putting their team in match-winning positions more often than the fourth innings merchants, whose failures in the first two innings are often the reason why their team is in trouble in the fourth innings.

Younis’ record in the first and second innings are probably pretty good as well, but he was not a top quality batsman.

Inzamam and Yousuf were better than him and Babar is better as well.

Younis is definitely one of the top 10 Pakistani batsmen ever, but that doesn’t mean much because Pakistan has a rather unimpressive batting legacy.

 

[Mamoon]

Your assertion that it was a flat pitch has been proven incorrect many times.

The pitch was considerably more bouncy and fast than the three beforehand. There was even an image that was placed on Sky that supported this.

He was only a walking wicket because nobody had the gall to tell him to stop flamingo dancing on the crease. He himself says that he got a call from Mohammad Azharuddin to stop doing so and finally did. Which just shows the ineptitude of the management to tell him a basic observation.

Law of Averages I agree. By the end, he was good only for 1 out of 8 innings to produce a substantial score.

I don’t care about the stats when I saw the match with my own eyes. It was a beautiful batting wicket and it doesn’t matter if it was ‘relatively’ bouncier than the previous pitches.

Younis did not have the technique or the talent to score runs against lateral movement. He has failed against swing and seam throughout his career.

Brilliant temperament though.

 

[burger_uno]

one of the best players of spin I have ever seen. period. against pace, below average when he started out but raised his game through hard work and determination. i saw very few batsman who handled murali and warne as comfortably as he did. equal to sachin imo. lara i think was slightly better than both.

i would guess his second innings record is a reflection of his skill set - spin coming more into play in second inning and pace being less of a factor. i would assume his fitness level contributed as well. also recall he used to get a lot of 100s when another pakistani bastman also scored big.

from memory, best inning for me was the hundred he got in chasing 400+ in sl. also recall him mounting some big rearguard actions in uae - especially a match saving one against s.a.

not my favourite pakistani bastman because he was always clamoring and politicking to be a part of odi squad where, in my view, he did not belong. someone with his record should not have played as many matches as he did. i think misbah was a better alternative to yk and should have been selected in place of yk. yk certainly had negative influence on the 2015 w.c. squad where he led the team down.

also recall he got asim kamal runout in his comeback series in india. yk and asim kamal were competing for a m/o order spot. yk delivered in india while asim kamal ended up being dropped a test after he scored a fifty.

lot of water under the bridge so i wish him best of luck. most pakistani players would have acted in a similar manner. also on tv and interviews, appears to be a very down to earth and humble guy which certainly cannot be said of most other pakistani players.

 

[burger_uno]

also recall him getting into a fight with afridi in early 2000's during a tour to w.i. from press report, yk took offence when afridi claimed that only inzi was the only world class player in pakistani squad.

 

[malikali]

How many of second innings hundreds are with follow on?

 

[marlonbrowndo]

My personal favourite was the 4th innings chase against SL

 

[msb314]

Runs in fourth innings is an overrated stat. Test matches are won in the first two innings.

Batsmen who dominate the first half of a match usually end up putting their team in match-winning positions more often than the fourth innings merchants, whose failures in the first two innings are often the reason why their team is in trouble in the fourth innings.

Younis’ record in the first and second innings are probably pretty good as well, but he was not a top quality batsman.

Inzamam and Yousuf were better than him and Babar is better as well.

Younis is definitely one of the top 10 Pakistani batsmen ever, but that doesn’t mean much because Pakistan has a rather unimpressive batting legacy.

Agree Inzy and MoYo were more talented than YK But Inzy couldn’t play fast / swing bowling to save his life whilst MoYo was horrible against spin and generally and slow turning wickets..

 

[ChTab]

Bangalore 2005, Misbah did 184 too.
Oval 2016, Azhar 49, Asad Shafiq 109
Headingley 2006, Mohammad you 192

Still I would take these innings as great but comparing these three instances, we have several cases where whole team collapsed including Younis Khan.

That was inzy on his 100th test match.

 

[the_game]

I don’t care about the stats when I saw the match with my own eyes. It was a beautiful batting wicket and it doesn’t matter if it was ‘relatively’ bouncier than the previous pitches.

Younis did not have the technique or the talent to score runs against lateral movement. He has failed against swing and seam throughout his career.

Brilliant temperament though.

Still a legend though, your hate cannot change that unfortunately.

Younis also scored a brilliant unbeaten fifty in a chase against South Africa on their home soil to win a test. In the fourth inning as well, which really shows how much that performance in fourth inning stat really means (as much as some amateur cricket fans on here want to trivialize it).

 

[Mamoon]

Still a legend though, your hate cannot change that unfortunately.

Younis also scored a brilliant unbeaten fifty in a chase against South Africa on their home soil to win a test. In the fourth inning as well, which really shows how much that performance in fourth inning stat really means (as much as some amateur cricket fans on here want to trivialize it).

As I said, chasing totals in the 4th innings is a rare occurrence because most Test matches are decided in the first two innings, and that is when you need your best batsmen to perform and make an impact on the game.

Quite often, your batsmen wouldn’t even need to score much in the fourth innings because they have already batted the opposition out in the first two innings.

For example, Steve Smith is a better Test batsman than Younis even though he has a very poor average in the fourth innings. That is because he consistently bats the opposition out of the game in the first two innings.

The Test in South Africa that you are talking about was won by Inzamam.

Inzamam’s brilliant 90 in the first innings helped Pakistan secure a crucial lead which proved decisive. Without Inzamam’s effort, Younis wouldn’t even be in a position to score runs in the fourth innings.

That is why record in fourth innings is an overrated stat because runs in the first two innings are more useful in terms of shaping the outcome of the match.

 

[TeymurBlake]

I remember the century against SL in 2015, the partnership with Shan Masood. Also the 199 against India in 2005. Watching him run out is one of my earliest memories of cricket then. Tragic but great knock. 175 vs Australia 2016 (if he got some support, he could have reached 200), 218 vs England 2016, 173 vs England 2006 at Leeds. These are some of the knocks I can remember.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Not many. He's a good player who is known for having big run fests on super flat pitches of Asia, a trademark of most Pakistani batting heroes.

Outside Asia, he's mostly been a sitting duck, and managed to compensate his average by scoring a big useless hundred in a dead rubber..

I can totally understand the point of this thread. Not a lot to show for the big occasions for a player who is hyped this much.

If this guy is even in the Top 5 for Pakistan, it's quite an embarrassment because India, England would place 20 batsmen each above him in their cricketing history.

All of the aforementioned however means little because at the end of the day, the guy's a gem of a human being who earned respect of his fans and opponents alike.

Yoni, we love you.

 

[Hasan123]

Lol who cares what innings you score the runs as long as you score them.

 

[therealAB]

Lol who cares what innings you score the runs as long as you score them.

Completely agree. While someone like Graeme SMith or Younis who averages high in 4th innings is commendable, I would prefer Steve Smith who averages 90 in the first innings

 

[Rana]

The innings average matters a lot and tells a lot about the character of a batsman. The ability to be able to deliver the runs that could be crucial for your team's victory or security. In this regard, YK averages higher than some of the biggest names to have graced the game.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Completely agree. While someone like Graeme SMith or Younis who averages high in 4th innings is commendable, I would prefer Steve Smith who averages 90 in the first innings

Didn't realize Stevie Boy Smith averaged 90 in 1st inning. That's freakish

 

[therealAB]

Didn't realize Stevie Boy Smith averaged 90 in 1st inning. That's freakish

Yep. I reckon because of his fatigue he gets tired later in the match, he only sleeps like 2 hours. Other interesting ones are Bradman at 114, Lara at 70, Miandad at 69 and Sachin at 66. Gavaskar averaged 42 which is interesting, he clutch up. Most opening batsmen are lower as well though. Williamson 39.92!

 

[Bhaijaan]

Yep. I reckon because of his fatigue he gets tired later in the match, he only sleeps like 2 hours. Other interesting ones are Bradman at 114, Lara at 70, Miandad at 69 and Sachin at 66. Gavaskar averaged 42 which is interesting, he clutch up. Most opening batsmen are lower as well though. Williamson 39.92!

Interesting.

1st innings is obviously a lot more important. It sets up the tone for the entire match. If your top batsman does not fire on Day 1-2, then you're playing catch up and rarely do teams catch up successfully in test cricket as history shows.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

I totally disagree with the opinion(after watching india in overseas) that 1st and 2nd innings decide the match. 4th innings is as important as these two and to be fair it is even more difficult to score in 4th innings. Anyone who watches the game knows it.
Most people here are just ignoring it because they want to protect their favourites (sachin and smith to be precise).

Anyone who watched india during 2000 knows that laxman was the most clutch batsman in the team.

Kohlis india failed to chase low targets in england bcoz apart from kohli all other batsman were sitting ducks in 4th innings.
Having a good 4th innings record proves that the batsman is a great performer under pressure.

 

[Cric1234]

Not many. He's a good player who is known for having big run fests on super flat pitches of Asia, a trademark of most Pakistani batting heroes.

Outside Asia, he's mostly been a sitting duck, and managed to compensate his average by scoring a big useless hundred in a dead rubber..

I can totally understand the point of this thread. Not a lot to show for the big occasions for a player who is hyped this much.

If this guy is even in the Top 5 for Pakistan, it's quite an embarrassment because India, England would place 20 batsmen each above him in their cricketing history.

All of the aforementioned however means little because at the end of the day, the guy's a gem of a human being who earned respect of his fans and opponents alike.

Yoni, we love you.

Name the 20 batsmen who would be ahead of him.

 

[Ab Fan]

This is turning out to be a disgraceful thread demeaning one of the test legends of the game. Younis Khan was a warrior and battler, who fought like a wolf.

10,000 runs and 52 test average is legendary status.

 

[Ab Fan]

<B>Top 10 test batsmen(from 70s) to have played the game for India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka:-</B>

Sachin Tendulkar
Sunil Gavaskar
Kumar Sangakkara
Javed Miandad
Rahul Dravid
Virat Kohli
Virender Sehwag
Inzamam ul haq
Younis Khan
Mahela Jayawardene

So, Younis Khan is 3rd greatest Pakistan batsmen and 9th from Asia in last 50 years.

 

[Mamoon]

I totally disagree with the opinion(after watching india in overseas) that 1st and 2nd innings decide the match. 4th innings is as important as these two and to be fair it is even more difficult to score in 4th innings. Anyone who watches the game knows it.
Most people here are just ignoring it because they want to protect their favourites (sachin and smith to be precise).

Anyone who watched india during 2000 knows that laxman was the most clutch batsman in the team.

Kohlis india failed to chase low targets in england bcoz apart from kohli all other batsman were sitting ducks in 4th innings.
Having a good 4th innings record proves that the batsman is a great performer under pressure.

The reason why the first two innings are more important than the 4th innings is because the significance of the 4th innings is dependent on what happens in the first two innings.

For example, if a team bats first and scores 600, then the fourth innings of the match is practically pointless.

Similarly, if a team bats second and scores 600 in reply to the opposition scoring 250 in their first innings, then it is the same situation because the game is pretty much decided.

The vast majority of Test matches are decided by the events of the first two innings. Even in difficult conditions where the scores are low, the first innings lead is more often than not critical.

India lost 4 Tests in England in 2018 not because they couldn’t chase but because they failed to take a first innings lead in 3 of those 4 Tests.

Simply put, if you take a sizable (let’s say 100 on flat pitches and 50 on difficult pitches) and you will 9 out of 10 times, but if you do not do your job in the first innings, there is a good chance that your fourth innings heroics will be in vain.

That is why runs in the first innings are more crucial. They set up the match.

Hypothetically, a batsman who averages 80 in the first innings and 30 in the fourth innings will win more matches for his team than a batsman who averages 30 in the first innings and 80 in the fourth innings.

People focus too much on fourth innings records because they are impressed by the runs scored when the pitch is at its toughest, but what they fail to realize is that matches are set up and influenced by the first two innings.

 

[Rana]

This is turning out to be a disgraceful thread demeaning one of the test legends of the game. Younis Khan was a warrior and battler, who fought like a wolf.

10,000 runs and 52 test average is legendary status.

But there are people here who are wasting time typing on a keyboard to prove otherwise

 

[ManFan]

I don’t care about the stats when I saw the match with my own eyes. It was a beautiful batting wicket and it doesn’t matter if it was ‘relatively’ bouncier than the previous pitches.

Younis did not have the technique or the talent to score runs against lateral movement. He has failed against swing and seam throughout his career.

Brilliant temperament though.

You can’t just ignore numbers and rely on your eyes to measure the pitch. That’s a rather ludicrous argument from someone so rational as yourself.

Agreed with everything else.

 

[shamaan]

You can’t just ignore numbers and rely on your eyes to measure the pitch. That’s a rather ludicrous argument from someone so rational as yourself.

Agreed with everything else.

I agree that is ludicrous

 

[BunnyRabbit]

As I said, chasing totals in the 4th innings is a rare occurrence because most Test matches are decided in the first two innings, and that is when you need your best batsmen to perform and make an impact on the game.

Quite often, your batsmen wouldn’t even need to score much in the fourth innings because they have already batted the opposition out in the first two innings.

For example, Steve Smith is a better Test batsman than Younis even though he has a very poor average in the fourth innings. That is because he consistently bats the opposition out of the game in the first two innings.

The Test in South Africa that you are talking about was won by Inzamam.

Inzamam’s brilliant 90 in the first innings helped Pakistan secure a crucial lead which proved decisive. Without Inzamam’s effort, Younis wouldn’t even be in a position to score runs in the fourth innings.

That is why record in fourth innings is an overrated stat because runs in the first two innings are more useful in terms of shaping the outcome of the match.

It's been 4 years and I am still unable to comprehend what you achieve from being a "kabab main haddi" on every occasion.

 

[Rana]

It's been 4 years and I am still unable to comprehend what you achieve from being a "kabab main haddi" on every occasion.

On every occasion in relation to Pakistan's success.

 

[malikali]

I totally disagree with the opinion(after watching india in overseas) that 1st and 2nd innings decide the match. 4th innings is as important as these two and to be fair it is even more difficult to score in 4th innings. Anyone who watches the game knows it.
Most people here are just ignoring it because they want to protect their favourites (sachin and smith to be precise).

Anyone who watched india during 2000 knows that laxman was the most clutch batsman in the team.

Kohlis india failed to chase low targets in england bcoz apart from kohli all other batsman were sitting ducks in 4th innings.
Having a good 4th innings record proves that the batsman is a great performer under pressure.

in last decade, Pakistan has been missing first/second innings strength. So the performance being looked at is with perspective of what Pakistan needed, not England or India.

 

[Hasan123]

Completely agree. While someone like Graeme SMith or Younis who averages high in 4th innings is commendable, I would prefer Steve Smith who averages 90 in the first innings

At least in the 4th innings you know what you need to do. In the first innings you aren't always 100 percent sure what is a good score.

 

[malikali]

At least in the 4th innings you know what you need to do. In the first innings you aren't always 100 percent sure what is a good score.

350 plus on average is a good first innings score.

 

[therealAB]

At least in the 4th innings you know what you need to do. In the first innings you aren't always 100 percent sure what is a good score.

YOu generally know, and often the match is decided by the last innings. The first innings sets up the game, so averaging 90 in it is huge

 

[Mamoon]

At least in the 4th innings you know what you need to do. In the first innings you aren't always 100 percent sure what is a good score.

The higher score is always the better score. First two innings are where the match is set up, so performances in those innings are more valuable.

 

[Hasan123]

350 plus on average is a good first innings score.

Depends.

I have seen tests where that is seen as a good score and then the following innings a team gets over 400.

 

[shamaan]

Depends.

I have seen tests where that is seen as a good score and then the following innings a team gets over 400.

Depends were your playing in english conditions 250 is par 300 is good score

In asian conditions 300 is par 350 is good score

 

[malikali]

Depends.

I have seen tests where that is seen as a good score and then the following innings a team gets over 400.

and that doesnt mean 350 scoring side is going to loose the match. the point is we if we score 200 in first/second innings then no matter what you plan in fourth innings, you are going to lose in most cases. fourth inning hundred in such cause should be cursed instead.

 

[malikali]

Depends were your playing in english conditions 250 is par 300 is good score

In asian conditions 300 is par 350 is good score

yes, for English conditions, we hardly make 200. 3rd 4th inning hundred would hardly help to draw not to speak of winning the match.

 

[shamaan]

yes, for English conditions, we hardly make 200. 3rd 4th inning hundred would hardly help to draw not to speak of winning the match.

We have scores more than 250 on a few occasions birmingham lord 2016
Lords again in 2018

 

[shamaan]

and that doesnt mean 350 scoring side is going to loose the match. the point is we if we score 200 in first/second innings then no matter what you plan in fourth innings, you are going to lose in most cases. fourth inning hundred in such cause should be cursed instead.

Agreed