 |
| 'I believe I can reach 10,000 runs' - Younis |
After
breaking the 22-year-old record of Javed Miandad to become Pakistan's leading
Test run-scorer, Younis Khan said
he has the hunger to aim for the 10,000-run mark.
Younis went past Miandad's tally of
8832 runs in emphatic style when he lofted Moeen Ali over deep midwicket shortly
after tea on the opening day in Abu Dhabi. Given the prolific 12 months he has
had - averaging over 80 since last October - the expectation was of something
significant but he was not at his most fluent and chipped Stuart Broad to short
mid-on for 38.
But Younis was relieved to have
ticked off the milestone, saying that it had been on his mind since he moved
within touching distance during the series against Sri Lanka earlier this year.
"I kept on thinking about
crossing Javed bhai, the greatest
batsman Pakistan had. I might not be as skilful as he was but I am feeling
privileged to cross him. Due credit should also be given to him because he is
the one whom I have been following and heeding his advice to make it
possible."
Younis admitted he was nervous as
the landmark approached, describing Miandad's two decade-old record as like a
"wall" in front of him that he had to "jump" to get across.
"I had to push myself,"
he said. "The last two weeks had been difficult because of fatigue,
traveling and that's the reason I just went with fast-forwarding mode and
wanted to just do it at once."
With one weight lifted from his
shoulders, Younis is now refocussing himself for a final push in the closing
stages of his career although he said he felt he had at least two more years
left in him at international level.
"I am not satisfied yet and I
don't want to be complacent with these records. I feel I can do more than
this," he said. "Every day is a new day, every innings is a new one
and every moment in the game is a new one so I think of all the advice from
Javed bhai. I don't want to relax and
want to carry on with my runs.
"Someday I might be satisfied
with my goals and achievements but I am pushing myself for more. I believe in
next the two years if I remain in the same mode I see myself bigger than this
and would like to score 10,000 runs."
Ahead of the first Test against
England, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq paid
tribute to Younis' role as a fulcrum of the middle order.
"It's always an honour to
share dressing room with players like Younis Khan," he said. "He has
always been the key man in the Pakistan sides, so important for our wins and
has been doing well for the last few years. He is really performing well with
an average of 54 which is great and we always love the way he plays and the way
he helps every other player, especially the youngsters and it's an honour to
play with him."
The other player Younis overtook, Inzamam-ul-Haq, narrowly
failed to take the record off Miandad in 2007 when he was stumped for 3 in his
final Test innings against South Africa in Lahore.
Comments
Post a Comment