KARACHI: Younis Khan posted an unbeaten 306 to steer Pakistan to 574 for five in reply to Sri Lanka’s 644-7 declared as the first cricket Test meandered to a draw with only a day remaining. Skipper, only the 20th batsman and third Pakistani to surpass 300 runs in a Test innings, guided the hosts past the follow-on target and within 70 runs of Sri Lanka’s first innings total by stumps Tuesday on a lifeless wicket at National Stadium.

His patient innings over 12 hours and 11 minutes featured 27 fours and four sixes from 545 balls and a superb range of strokes on both sides of the wicket. “I dedicate this innings to my family, my friends and my teammates who have always supported me,” Khan told reporters. “The team needed innings like that from someone and I was lucky I did it for my team.”

It was the first time in Test cricket’s 132-year history that both captains have scored more than 200 in the same Test match. Khan is now aiming for Pakistan’s Test best of 337 made by Hanif Mohammad against the West Indies at Barbados in 1958. Inzamam-ul-Haq is the only other Pakistani triple century-maker. He scored 329 against New Zealand at Lahore in 2002.

While Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has extended his heartiest felicitations to the Captain of Pakistan Cricket Team, Yunus Khan for his outstanding batting performance against Sri Lanka on Tuesday by scoring triple century. In his message of greetings the Prime Minister said that Yunus Khan had become the third Pakistani player who achieved this milestone after Hanif Mohammad and Inzamam ul Haq. The Prime Minister also commended the performance of other players of the Pakistan Cricket Team and hoped that they would continue performing in the similar fashion in the remaining matches of the series.-SANA

About Raheel Hanif

Raheel Hanif has written 95 articles on this journal.

• View all posts by Raheel Hanif →
• Blog

Popularity: 1% [?]