KARACHI: Pakistan batting greats Javed Miandad, Hanif Mohammad and Inzamam-ul-Haq praised hard-working and committed Younis Khan who became the country’s leading Test run scorer on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old Younis overtook Miandad’s tally of 8832 runs made in 124 Tests — a record which stood for 22 years on the opening day of the first Test against England in Abu Dhabi.

Younis jumped out of his crease and heaved off-spinner Moeen Ali over deep mid-wicket for a big six, crossing Inzamam’s 8830 runs and Miandad’s aggregate in one stroke.

He overhauled the record in his 102nd Test, taking 22 fewer than Miandad to set the mark, before he was finally dismissed for 38 and now has 8852 runs.

“I am happy that my record is broken by a patriot who plays for the team and for the country,” Miandad told French news agency AFP. “He is a very hard working player who has made his name through his commitment and honesty.”

Miandad added that Younis has always been a good student of the game.

“Younis had played under my coaching and I have always found him a great student of the game who is always willing to learn and always ready to put in a committed effort, which is the hallmark of a great sportsman,” said Miandad.

Miandad said Younis had made good contribution to Pakistan cricket.

“I wish him the best of luck and now he has broken the record I hope he will not stop, and play as well as he has done in the past 15 years,” said Miandad.

Hanif lauded Younis for his achievement and urged the batsman to reach 10,000 runs.

Asian greats like India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lankans Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawar­dene have accumulated over 10,000 runs and Hanif believes Younis could become the first Pakistan batsman to achieve that distinction.

“Younis is definitely a great batsman and I urge him to focus on becoming the first Pakistan batsman to complete 10,000 runs in the Test cricket,” Hanif said in an interview with local newswire APP.

“The way Younis is batting, he can play for Pakistan another two to three years and he is quite capable of reaching that milestone.”

Younis has been sensationally prolific over the last 12 months, averaging over 80 while completing six centuries.

Inzamam, who skippered Younis from 2003 to 2007, said Younis takes pride in his hard work.

“When he came into the team I found that he is not very talented but he overcame that through his hard work,” said Inzamam. “He has scored runs whenever the team needed them the most and that is the sign of a great team man.”

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan also felicitated Younis on his feat.

“The number of records he has set in the recent past is something we as a nation can take great pride in,” said the PCB chief, noting Younis was the only Pakistan batsman to score a century against all Test-playing nations.

Former Test cricketer and chief selector Salahuddin Sallu said Younis’ achievements will be a source of inspiration for generations to come.

“He is a fantastic player who looks destined to break many more records. He deserved this record and I wish him the very best for his future,” said Sallu.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2015

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