Lahore, Oct 16 (IANS) Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup-winning captain Younis Khan and their first Test captain Abdul Hafeez Kardar on Sunday were inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame. The duo has joined Abdul Qadir, Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Zaheer Abbas in the illustrious group.
“The two gentlemen will always remain shining stars of Pakistan cricket and idols for the future generations,” said Ramiz Raja, PCB chairman, in an official statement.
Younis was inducted immediately after becoming eligible as the PCB Hall of Fame regulations require a player should have played his last international match, at least, five years before. Younis’ last international match was in Dominica in May 2017 — the Test which Pakistan won with six balls remaining to clinch their maiden series win in the Caribbean.
He featured in the third most Tests for Pakistan (118) in which he accumulated most runs for Pakistan (10,099) and 14th most overall in the 145-year history of Test cricket. He averaged 52.05 (18th highest amongst those who have played 50 or more Tests), scored 34 Test centuries (most for Pakistan and sixth most in the world), including six double-centuries (seventh most in the world along with Javed Miandad and five others) and a career-best 313 in February 2009, which subsequently took him to No.1 position in the ICC rankings.
Younis also had a safe pair of hands, when he held 139 catches (15th most in the world). He also captained Pakistan in 38 international matches, winning 14. He played in four Cricket World Cups from 2003-2015 and finished his 265-match ODI career with 7,249 runs with seven centuries. In 25 T20Is, Younis scored 442 runs at a strike-rate of 121.42, but he is remembered for leading Pakistan to their first world title in 17 years when he lifted the T20 World Cup 2009 trophy at Lord’s.
Before representing Pakistan, Kardar played three Tests for India on the 1946 tour of England. Prior to making his debut for India, Kardar had represented India’s domestic teams Northern India (1943 and 1945) and Muslims (1944).
After partition, Kardar preferred Oxford University (1947-49) and Warwickshire (1948-50) over India. However, when Pakistan became the seventh Test-playing nation on July 28, 1952, Kardar was appointed the first captain and led the side in all the 23 Tests he played from 1952 to 1958.
Under Kardar’s captaincy, Pakistan achieved an unparalleled distinction of winning a Test in maiden series against all the Test-playing nations of the day — India (Lucknow, 1952), England (The Oval, 1954), New Zealand (Karachi, 1955), Australia (Karachi, 1956) and West Indies (Trinidad, 1958).
He scored 927 runs and took 21 wickets in 26 Tests, and also headed the then Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan from 1972-1977. Kardar passed away in Lahore on April 21, 1996, aged 71.
–IANS
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