Mohammad Younis Khan (born 29 November 1977) is a Pakistani professional cricket coach and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all three formats of the game. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest middle-order batsmen in Test cricket. Khan is the only Test cricketer in the history of the game to score a century in all 11 countries that have hosted Test matches. Under his captaincy, Pakistan won the 2009 World Twenty20.
Younis holds the record for the most runs and the most centuries scored by a Pakistani in Test cricket. He is the third Pakistani player to score 300 or more runs in an innings. He is one of a handful of Test batsmen in the world with a century conversion ratio of over 50 percent, with 34 centuries and 33 fifties. He led Pakistan to their victory in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, which was their first World Twenty20 title. On 23 April 2017, he became the first Pakistani and 13th batsman ever to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He became the oldest and sixth-fastest batsman to reach the 10,000-run milestone in relation to innings played.
On 24 March 2010, Younis, along with teammate Mohammad Yousuf, was suspended from playing by the Pakistan Cricket Board following an inquiry report which suggested they were involved in breaches of discipline by inciting divisions within the team. The ban was lifted three months later. In a Test match against Australia beginning on 22 October 2014, Younis made his 25th and 26th centuries in the same match, becoming just the 6th Pakistani to do so. On 25 June 2015, Younis became the fifth Pakistani cricketer to play 100 Test matches and on 13 October 2015, he became Pakistan’s highest run-scorer in Test cricket, breaking Javed Miandad’s record of 8,832 runs.
Younis retired from ODI cricket in November 2015. He retired from all forms of international cricket at the conclusion of the series against the West Indies in May 2017.
Personal Life
Younis married Amna on 30 March 2007. They have three children: two sons and one daughter.
Younis had to deal with a number of deaths in his family during 2005 and 2006. In 2005, he had to fly back from a tour of Australia after his father died. Later in the year, during England’s tour to Pakistan, Younis’ eldest brother, Mohammed Sharif Khan, who, in Younis’s words, taught him how to play cricket, died aged 41 in a car accident in Ukraine. Another older brother, Farman Ali Khan, was only 39 when he was killed in a car accident in Germany in December 2006.
Younis was batting in the second ODI against West Indies in Faisalabad when the news of his brother’s death reached the team management. Younis only learned of the situation after he returned to the pavilion at the end of his innings. He immediately left for his hometown Mardan and did not participate in any of the remaining matches in that series.
Younis also mentioned his grief at the death of Bob Woolmer in March 2007 after Pakistan’s exit from the World Cup. He stated that he saw Bob as a father figure after the loss of his own father and that he was able to share many personal thoughts with the cricket coach.
During a tour of the West Indies in May 2011, Younis was given permission to return home early due to the death of his elder brother Shamshad Khan in Germany.
He is known to enjoy fishing when not playing cricket.
Domestic Career
Australian First-Class Cricket
In 2008–09, Younis played for the Southern Redbacks in Australia’s domestic circuit on a short-term basis. He scored a century against Queensland Bulls in the first innings of a Sheffield shield match in Brisbane, which helped the Redbacks to win their first Shield match for a year.
County Cricket
In 2005, Younis played county cricket for Nottinghamshire in England. In the 2007 English domestic cricket season, he played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club as an overseas player. On his County Championship debut for Yorkshire, he made a disappointing 4 runs from 4 balls in his first innings and just 12 in his second innings. However, on his one-day debut in the Friends Provident Trophy, Younis hit a superb 100 from 92 balls against Nottinghamshire to lead Yorkshire to victory.
He signed for Surrey for the 2010 season.
Indian Premier League
In 2008, Younis signed with the Indian Premier League and was drafted by the Rajasthan Royals for a bid of US$300,000. He played only one match in the tournament against Kings XI Punjab and scored 1 run.
Pakistan
He contributed as a mentor for Peshawar Zalmi in the 2017 PSL season and the 2018 PSL season. In July 2018, he resigned from his roles of both captain and player of the United Bank Limited cricket team after the United Bank Limited company decided to disband the team.
International Career
Younis Khan made his international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka at Karachi in February 2000, and has since played over 250 ODIs for Pakistan. His Test debut came during the same tour in 2000 against Sri Lanka on 26 February 2000 and played in over 110 Test matches until retirement. Younis was one of the few batsmen who retained his place in the team after Pakistan’s disastrous World Cup campaign in 2003 but lost it soon after due to a string of poor scores in the home series against Bangladesh and South Africa. He came back for the one-day series against India but failed to cement a place in the Test side.
It was his return to the side in October 2004, at the pivotal one-down position, against Sri Lanka in Karachi that laid the groundwork for his emergence as a force in Pakistan cricket. Younis was the top run-getter in the disastrous 3–0 whitewash in Australia immediately after and on the tour of India, for which he was elevated as vice-captain. After a horror start to the series, he came back strongly, capping things off with 267 in the final Test. It was his highest Test score that came off 504 balls in the first innings, to set up a series-levelling victory in Bangalore.
Apart from being an accomplished batsman, Younis is also a skilled slip fielder and a very occasional leg-spin bowler. Once, Craig McMillan hit Younis for 26 runs, 4 4 4 4 6 4 in an over, a then world record, during the 3rd Test at Westpac Trust Park, Hamilton. He has performed particularly well on foreign grounds, including on tours of Australia, India, England, and Sri Lanka. In the six Tests he has played against India, Younis averages an exceptional 106, the highest average against India by a Pakistani cricketer. Apart from his 267 at Bangalore, Younis also made 147 at Kolkata in 2005 and a pair of centuries during India’s trip to Pakistan in 2006. More importantly, the tour to India also showcased his potential as a future captain of Pakistan and his energetic and astute leadership impressed many people. Also in 2006, Younis made a century in the third Test against England at Headingley. On 22 January 2007, he scored a matchwinning unbeaten 67 in the 4th innings to guide Pakistan to victory over South Africa in Port Elizabeth. The five-wicket win levelled the series at 1–1.
In 2005, he was one of the 15 nominees for the ICC Test Player of the Year. He is the second fastest Pakistani in terms of innings to reach 4000 Test runs, behind Javed Miandad. Younis reached the milestone in 87 innings, just one more than Sachin Tendulkar took.
For his performances in 2008, he was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC.
Younis Khan topped the ICC’s Test Batting Rankings in February 2009 after an acclaimed innings of 313 in his first Test as captain, in the process of helping save the match for Pakistan. Younis’ ranking score of 880 is the third highest achieved by a Pakistani batsman after Mohammad Yousuf (933), Javed Miandad (885), and just ahead of Inzamam-ul-Haq (870).
Captaincy Situation
His ODI captaincy first came during West Indies touring third ODI on 22 May 2005, where Pakistan won the match by 22 runs and sealed the series 3–0. He first led Pakistan Test team against the same West Indies tour in 2005, where regular captain Inzamam was given a one-Test ban for showing dissent against India. In September 2006, he was offered the position of captain for the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, following the suspension of Inzamam ul Haq. He turned down the offer, stating he did not want to be a “dummy captain”. However, on the morning of 7 October 2006, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that Khan would lead his team in the tournament. In the series, Pakistan won only one match and lost two, thus quit from the series in the league as well.
In 2009, Younis was named as the permanent captain of both the Test and ODI teams after Pakistan’s ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka. However, on 13 October 2009, Younis announced his resignation as captain after the parliamentary committee investigating match-fixing allegations announced that he is under suspicion. His resignation was not accepted by the Pakistan Cricket Board and he remained the permanent captain of the Pakistan team. On 19 October 2009, Younis demanded an inquiry into match-fixing allegations about Pakistan losing the second match in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy to New Zealand. Shahid Afridi assumed the captaincy for the ODI and T20I tour of New Zealand later that month after Younis announced a break from limited-overs cricket.
On 29 January 2010, Younis was recalled to the ODI squad for the tour of Australia, where Mohammad Yousuf replaced him as captain. Pakistan lost all the ODIs against Australia, and the only T20I game as well. On 8 March 2010, Younis was banned indefinitely by the Pakistan Cricket Board for creating infighting within the team. The ban was overturned three months later.
Retirement
On 10 May 2017, Younis confirmed his retirement from international cricket, joining Misbah-ul-Haq, who retired at the end of the series against the West Indies in May 2017.
Achievements and Records
Younis Khan holds several cricketing records, some of which are listed below:
| Record | Detail |
|---|---|
| Test Runs | First Pakistani batsman to score 10,000+ runs in Test cricket |
| Test Centuries | Most centuries by a Pakistani in Test cricket (34) |
| Fourth Innings Centuries | Only Test batsman to score five centuries in the fourth innings of a match |
| Centuries in Test-Hosting Countries | Only cricketer to score a century in all 11 countries that have hosted Tests |
| Hundred-Run Partnerships in Tests | Involved in 63 hundred-run partnerships in Test cricket |
Legacy
Younis Khan is widely regarded as one of Pakistan’s greatest cricketers. His achievements on the field, especially his resilience and ability to perform under pressure, have made him a cricketing legend. His leadership in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and his numerous batting records have cemented his legacy as a pivotal figure in Pakistani cricket.
Personal Life and Beyond
Despite facing numerous personal tragedies, Younis’s dedication to cricket never wavered. He continues to inspire future generations with his contributions to the sport, both as a player and as a mentor. His passion for fishing is well-known, adding another facet to his multifaceted personality.