Pakistan v West Indies Test Series - Will http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Younis-Khan-c98325’s absence hurt Pakistan?
Pakistan will be eying a strong show in the two-match Test series against West Indies, starting from Thursday, May 12, 2011.
However, no member in the current team has toured the Caribbean before. Veteran batsman, Younis Khan, who was all set to represent his side in the longest version of the format had to miss the series due to his brothers’ demise. His experience will certainly be missed by the Men in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Green-c60723 and will make their batting more vulnerable.
Younis has played 67 Tests until now and averages 50.60. He is one of the only three players in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Javed-Miandad-c66580 (52.57). The latter had retired from cricket long ago, but both Yousuf and Younis are still available for selection.
With 17 centuries and 23 half-centuries, Younis has scored more 5617 runs in Test cricket. His record is better than the entire batting line-up of Pakistan, which will take part in the upcoming series.
The stylish right-hander has been terrific over the years for his team, as he batted most of his career as a first-drop. He had to see through the new ball every second match, as Pakistan didn’t produce a consistent opening pair.
Apart from that, Younis plays spinners with complete command, which is the reason behind his strong showings in Test cricket.
The 33-year-old has the highest score of 313 against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 and has scored over 130 ten times out of his 17 tons. He also has two centuries against the Windies with a best of 153.
Apart from his brilliant batting skills and cool temperament, Younis is one of the best fielders in Pakistan team. He has taken 74 catches in his Test career until now and often fields in the slip cordon. He is also known to be a team player, a rare breed in Pakistan cricket.
The team will be depending on their skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972, who is the only other batsman with more experience compared to the others. He has featured in 23 Test matches so far and has been able to score runs with consistency. However, the situation will be entirely different compared to the past, as there won’t be any experience in the batting order this time around.
Misbah did a decent job in the One Day International (ODI) series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760, but he will have the added pressure of captaincy on his shoulders. He has a good record until now, not losing a single match in his leadership.
The 36-year-old will have to rely on his youngsters to share the pressure. There are some very promising batsmen in the line-up. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Asad-Shafiq-c46208 have impressed one and all with their performances recently. They will have to be much more mature in the upcoming series in order to do well.
Although it’s a matter of just one player missing from the batting line-up, his significance can’t be ignored. Had Younis been with the team for the Test matches, the Men in Green would have been favourites.
However, things are pretty much even at the moment, with the hosts having the slight advantage of having more experienced batsmen compared to their opponents.
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