The third ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was one of those ODIs where everything went according to plan. It happens rarely for Pakistan but when it does it feels like there is no team better than them.

The openers gave Pakistan a solid start. The middle order consolidated the platform. The late order accelerated and ended the innings on a high note. The new ball bowlers got early breakthroughs. The spinners choked the middle order. The fielders caught well. The wicketkeeper took some breathtaking catches.

Everyone clicked. Everything worked. Pakistan won comprehensively.

When they perform like this it makes you wonder why they can't do it more consistently. However, despite being notorious for playing like champions one day and like clowns the other, some semblance of consistency has definitely crept into this ODI team.

Since the 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Bangladesh, Pakistan has played 6 ODIs - 3 vs Zimbabwe and 3 vs Sri Lanka. In 4 of the ODIs, Pakistan batted first and posted a total in excess of 280; in the other 2 ODIs, they successfully chased targets above 250 comfortably.

Does anyone remember the last time Pakistan played 6 ODIs with this level of consistency?

Does anyone remember how many times Pakistan posted a total above 280 in the 4 years they played under Misbah?

Does anyone remember how many times Pakistan successfully chased a target above 250 under Misbah?

Lets answer these questions.

Batting First under Misbah
In the 4 years between 2011 and 2015, while Misbah was captain of the ODI team, Pakistan batted first in 40 ODIs (barring ODIs vs Associates). In those 40 ODIs, Pakistan scored over 280 a mere 5 times.

Moreover, Pakistan's average score in those 40 ODIs was 235.

Chasing under Misbah
In the 4 years between 2011 and 2015, while Misbah was captain of the ODI team, Pakistan chased targets in 37 ODIs (barring ODIs vs Associates). In these 37 ODIs, Pakistan successfully chased a target of 250 or above only twice!

So basically, what Pakistan achieved in 4 years and 77 ODIs under Misbah, is pretty much what Pakistan has managed to achieve in 4 months and 9 ODIs under Azhar Ali.

What a joke! What a waste of 4 years.

Batting First & Chasing under Azhar Ali

In 9 ODIs under Azhar Ali, whether batting first or second, Pakistan have failed to cross 250 only once.

So what has changed for Pakistan? What are they doing differently now? What were they missing under Misbah?

I can think of a few reasons.

1. The Captain's Attitude

It is no secret that Misbah had a defensive mindset and Pakistan never adopted the modern approach to ODIs under him. Not losing wickets was the order of the day instead of trying to take risks and bat with a high run rate. Misbah himself never tried to play his natural game and instead built a game that focused on blocking endlessly and cutting loose only near the end of the innings and losing his wicket while doing so. The entire batting order played defensively and as a result Pakistan hardly scored enough runs to win ODIs.

Misbah's approach to batting was so outdated that instead of progressing, Pakistan's ODI cricket actually regressed during his 4-year tenure, which ended with Pakistan languishing at number 8 in ODI rankings.

Azhar Ali, on the other hand, started his ODI captaincy career by accepting the fact that ODI cricket can no longer be played the way Pakistan had been playing it for the past 4 years. He showed awareness of his own game and focused on improving his own strike rate and asking the same of his team mates.

While Misbah mostly played at number 5 and blocked away his time at the crease, Azhar Ali took on the responsibility of opening the innings and taking charge from the get go. Misbah was happy blocking the ball back to the bowlers, Azhar Ali charges down and clubs the ball over the bowlers' heads.

Talk about taking responsibility head on and leading from the front.

While Misbah the batsman did alright as captain, it was never enough. He also pales in comparison to Azhar Ali the batsman in the short period that Azhar has been captain.

2. Utilization of Key Players

Mohammad Hafeez is a key batsman in Pakistan's line up and he was key under Misbah as well. However, under Misbah, Hafeez was entrusted with playing the anchor role and his instructions were largely to keep one end intact. Not only did that curb the scoring rate but also denied Pakistan of aggressive starts considering that Hafeez either opens or plays at number 3.

Under Azhar Ali however, Hafeez has shown more aggression. The change is apparent and it is quite visible that the instructions from the captain and the dressing room are quite different from what they used to be with Misbah in charge.

The difference is highlighted by Hafeez' significantly higher strike rate under Azhar Ali as compared to under Misbah.

Shoaib Malik is a player who suffered a lot under Misbah. He lost his touch around the same time that he lost his captaincy to Younis Khan in 2009, however under Misbah he was constantly in and out of the team and did not seem to have a permanent position in the batting order.

Every time Malik would make a comeback to the team on the back of his prolific domestic form, Misbah would use him sparingly at 6 or 7. Malik was never able to translate his domestic form on the international stage and finally was out of favor with the selectors.

Out of the 21 innings that Malik batted in under Misbah, 15 of them were at 6 or 7. It makes you wonder why you would use him there considering that he bats at 4 in domestic cricket and that majority of his international success has also come at numbers 3 and 4.

The difference between his performance under Misbah and under Azhar Ali is drastic!

Under Azhar, Malik has comfortably slotted at number 5 from where he has successfully finished games for Pakistan while chasing, and he has taken advantage of solid platforms and played aggressively to give Pakistan strong finishes while batting first.

We finally have the Malik of the mid-2000s back. Unfortunately, Misbah never utilized him to his full potential.

Haris Sohail made his debut under Misbah after several successful domestic seasons. He displayed his prowess soon enough, yet for some reason he too had to curb his natural aggressive instinct under Misbah. Just take a look at the drastic difference between his strike rates under the different captains he has played under thus far in his short career.

Umar Akmal is another player who was wasted under Misbah. The junior Akmal played 67 ODIs under Misbah and batted in 59 of those. In 15 innings he batted at number 5, while in 35 innings he batted at number 6. Umar averaged 35 and had a strike rate of 86.6 under Misbah, which is similar to his career stats. He is one of the only 3 batsmen from Pakistan who average above 35 with a strike rate above 80 (other two being Saeed Anwar and Zaheer Abbas).

Umar is by far the most talented batsman to come out of Pakistan in the past decade, yet today he finds himself out of the international scene. Under Misbah, he was used as merely a slogger, despite various requests from him to play up the order. A batsman with his ability and stats to match should have been playing at 3 or 4, yet Misbah continuously played him at 6 while persisting with the likes of Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan in the top order.

Even Azhar Ali has been performing far better as captain than he did in his initial ODIs under Misbah. He had a pretty good average back then, but look at the difference in strike rates, which clearly highlights the changing mindset and approach.

3. Persistence with Non-Performers

I will never understand Misbah's fascination with the likes of Asad Shafiq. It is obvious to everyone that Asad is an absolutely magnificent test batsmen, yet at the same time he is a total misfit and atrocious in ODIs. I never understood why Misbah persisted with him for so long and that too at number 3 or 4 while the likes of Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, and Mohammad Rizwan either warmed the benches or languished lower down the order.

It really makes you wonder why Misbah never fought hard for Fawad Alam's inclusion the way he did for Asad Shafiq's.


While Misbah has been a brilliant captain in tests and has even gone on to win more matches as test captain than any other captain in the history of Pakistan cricket, he was completely rubbish as an ODI captain. He has been the driving force behind Pakistan's rise to number 3 in the test rankings, while at the same time he has been the sole reason behind Pakistan's fall to number 8 in the ODI rankings.

Not only did Misbah cramp Pakistan's batting in ODIs, he made the batsmen around him play defensively as well. It is the same players who are now flourishing under Azhar Ali, which goes to show what Pakistan has been missing in ODIs for 4 years.

With Haris Sohail and Sohaib Maqsood out with injury and the likes of Sami Aslam and Babar Azam warming the benches, it augurs well for Pakistan's batting bench strength.

The future looks bright, yet it could have looked this way had the PCB not sacked Afridi and replaced him with Misbah at the helm 4 years ago. Probably the biggest mistake ever in Pakistan's ODI history.

The popular view when Azhar Ali was announced as Misbah's successor to lead the ODI team was that the PCB had taken a step backwards. Public opinion, and that of some experts, was that the PCB had not learnt from its past mistakes. Having seen the ODI team crumble under the defensive tactics of Misbah, the predominant view was that Pakistan required an aggressive captain and the modern day approach to ODI cricket.

I was also skeptical about Azhar Ali as the ODI captain. I never doubted his ability as an ODI batsman and also called for his inclusion in the team in the past, but as captain I had my doubts. We ran a poll on Boys in Green, and also wrote a letter to the PCB Chairman about it including our poll results, which showed that Azhar Ali was the least popular choice among fans.

With such a negative reaction prior to even taking the field as captain, Azhar Ali must have felt the world's burden on his shoulders. He must have felt that he needed to prove the fans wrong, the experts wrong, and above all he needed to prove to himself and his team that he belonged.

With such pressure, any lesser batsman / person would have crumbled.

Not Azhar Ali though.

Azhar Ali stood up to the challenge, took it head on by opening the batting, and slogged each one of his critics out of the park.

As an opener, Azhar Ali has been a revelation!

Azhar Ali stands above and beyond all openers Pakistan has ever had in its entire ODI history. His average of 63.84 as an opener is almost 18 runs more than the next best average of a Pakistan opener.

The most pleasantly surprising fact is that Azhar has the best strike rate among all Pakistan openers; even better than the legendary Saeed Anwar's.

Unlike Misbah the ODI captain, Azhar Ali decided to take charge of the ODI team and lead from the front by moving out of his comfort zone and adopting an attacking style of play at the top of the order. He showed everyone that it could be done and naturally demanded the same of his players, which has resulted in the consistently high ODI scores that Pakistan has been posting; a welcome change from the struggle to 220-230 over the past 4 years.

Sure it is still early days for Azhar Ali, but at the moment he is at the top of the pile in terms of average among all openers ever to play ODI cricket (with a minimum of 10 innings as an opener). Azhar is among the only 3 openers in ODI cricket who average above 50.

He recently created a Pakistan record when he completed 1,000 runs in ODI cricket in his 23rd inning. He equaled the great Gordon Greenidge, and got there in 2 innings fewer than Sir Viv Richards and Kevin Pietersen.

Azhar Ali reached 1,000 ODI runs faster than modern ODI greats like Virat Kohli, Hashim Amla, and AB De Villiers, and faster than the all time great ODI batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, and Inzamam Ul Haq.

At the moment, Azhar Ali is among the only 8 ODI batsmen in the history of ODI cricket who average over 50 (minimum: 1,000 ODI runs). The other names on that list include Hashim Amla, AB De Villiers, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Michael Bevan.

Talk about being a part of elite company.

He is also among the few ODI batsmen who average over 50 as captain. The top of that list reads Virat Kohli (70.8), AB De Villiers (69.8), and Azhar Ali (65.0).

Azhar Ali has not only shone alone as an opener in ODIs; he has always ensured that Pakistan get off to a good solid start by building a strong opening stand. In the 14 ODIs that he has has opened in, he has had 4 different opening partners, and he has been able to forge a strong partnership with each one of them.

All those recent claims that Azhar Ali is a selfish batsman are baseless in my opinion. He has taken responsibility on his own shoulders, he has taken up a role that has traditionally given Pakistan the most problems, and he has stood above all batsmen currently playing ODI cricket. He has flourished as an opener.

I will be the first to say that these are still early days, but the glimpses that Azhar Ali has shown in this short period have demonstrated an ability that will bring Pakistan back to being a force to reckon with in ODI cricket.

England were magnificent as they cruised to a 169-run victory over tourists Australia with a full day's play in hand. New head coach Trevor Bayliss was in charge of his first Ashes Test match and will be ecstatic at his side's performance after dominating Australia on both sides of the ball. The match, which took place at Cardiff's SWALEC Stadium, was comfortable for England and has instantly dismissed any suggestions that Australia would earn their second successive Ashes series whitewash.

Joe Root was instrumental for the hosts, scoring 134 runs in the first innings, 60 in the second and taking two wickets as Australia desperately looked to stay in the contest. England haven't lost an Ashes series on home soil since 2001 and have made the perfect start in the latest edition of the game's greatest rivalry. At the time of writing, England are priced at evens with betfair to go on and lift the Ashes this summer and if they can maintain such high intensity, they will stand a great chance. We've recapped the main events throughout play and consider the key performances that secured a maiden victory for Australian-born Bayliss as England's head coach.

England won the toss and captain Alistair Cook elected to bat but the hosts didn't get off to a great start. Yorkshire's Adam Lyth, playing in his first Ashes Test match, was out after scoring just six runs. In no time, Cook and the struggling Ian Bell had also lost their wickets and England were teetering on 43-3. However, Gary Ballance and the in-form Root dug deep to start a spirited fightback. Root, who was dropped by Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin on 0, went on to score 134 off 166 balls. Ballance, meanwhile, scored a respectable 61 off 149 balls as England began to establish an impressive target. The runs didn't stop there as Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali both scored half centuries.

Stokes knocked two sixes on his way to 52 and the latter scored a quick-fire 77 off just 88 balls. Mitchell Starc, who was the pick of the Australian bowlers, removed both batsmen and finished with figures of 5-114, but not before the hosts had been bowled out for an impressive 430. The 153-run partnership between Ballance and Root was vital for the hosts at a time when they were struggling to cope with Australia's quick bowling attack. Without their contribution, the result of this Test match could have been very different.



Australia got off to a good start as Chris Rogers and David Warner set about chasing England's first innings total of 430. At 52-0, the tourists were cruising before Jimmy Anderson dismissed Warner. Useful scores from Steve Smith and Rogers, who was dismissed in the 'Nervous Nineties', saw Australia reach 180-3 but the visitors capitulated from there. Michael Clarke fell for 38 after an incredible catch off his own bowling from Moeen, before Ben Stokes picked up his first wicket of the series to dismiss Adam Voges.

At 258-5, Australia were still in a reasonable position and, with the likes of Shane Watson, Nathan Lyon and Haddin still to bat, they will have been quietly confident of posting a decent total. However, Watson - who failed once again when his nation needed him the most - and Lyon were bowled out in quick succession and suddenly the score was 265-7, with Australia still 165 runs behind. Haddin threatened a mini revival but England's bowlers got the job done and dismissed the Australian tail-enders without much trouble. After posting 308 in reply, the tourists were still 122 behind the hosts and England were very much in the ascendency. Jimmy Anderson, pictured below, took three wickets for 43 runs from his 18.5 overs.


With rain expected on day five, England continued to attack Australia's bowlers on day three in their second innings as they looked to set a lofty total for the tourists to chase. Cook was disappointing again as he fell for just 20 runs before Ballance was dismissed on 0 to leave England stuttering at 22-2. Lyth contributed 37 before his wicket fell and it was once again left to Root to revitalise the innings. The Yorkshire batsman hit 60, as did Ian Bell, to improve England's score up to 207-5. The hosts were playing some scintillating cricket and taking the Australian bowlers on but something had to give... and it did.

Spin bowler Nathan Lyon began to enjoy himself as the pitch started to succumb to turn on the surface. The New South Wales star took four wickets for 47 runs from his 20.1 overs, claiming the big-name scalps of Lyth, Jos Buttler, Stuart Broad and Anderson. Meanwhile, the dangerous Mitchell Johnson - who tore England to shreds throughout the previous Ashes series - bowled over 200 balls before claiming his opening wicket of the series. The hosts lost their last five wickets for just 82 runs to set the visitors 412 to win. That is a total that would be the third highest successful run chase in Test cricket history.

Can Australia score 412, the third highest run chase of all-time, to win the first Ashes Test? #FSNYes or #FSNNo pic.twitter.com/XEqPld4QXd

— FOX SPORTS News (@FOXSportsNews) July 10, 2015

Faced with an incredibly difficult run chase of 412, Australia set off slowly but made a steady start as Warner found his form with the bat. However, they lost opening batsmen Rogers off the bowling of Broad. Warner continued to score runs and, at one stage, there were whispers of a surprise Australia victory. However, Moeen trapped Warner for lbw and the tourists lost all momentum. Wickets quickly began to fall and, when Smith was bowled out for 33, Australia looked down and out.

Captain Clarke managed to score just four runs before his wicket fell - a key moment in the clash. From there, Australia were a beaten side and lost the next six wickets for 136 runs. Moeen and Root dismissed the dangerous pairing of Haddin and Johnson before Moeen, who teased Australia's bowlers throughout the entirety of the innings, claimed the wicket of Hazelwood to send the home fans into raptures. After their second innings capitulation, there could be a plethora of changes in the Australian side with Watson's place under severe threat. The dismissal was his 29th lbw dismissal of his career and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him lose his place in the side. For England, however, it was the stuff of dreams and they will look to build on this success at Lord’s.

Well, its a pertinent question, is it not?

Sure they are the number 2 ranked Test Team in the world with a clear 10 point lead over the team at number 3. But the difference between South Africa at the top and Australia is 19 points. That is a huge difference.

What that really means is that Australia is close to the same level as Pakistan, New Zealand, India, and England. Only 14 points separate Australia at 2 and England at 6. Furthermore, they were clean swept by the number 3 team just last year.

That is not even the reason why I asked the question though.

The fact that really surprised me was that Australia has won only one of the last 15 tests they have played in England.

Yes. ONE. Out of FIFTEEN.

Damn! Right?

But there's more to the story.

In the entire history of Test Cricket, Australia is the only team that has won more games away from home than it has lost.


However, in the past 5 years that is not the case any more,


In all Tests played since the beginning of 2010, Australia have lost more than they have won away from home. Their W:L record is similar to England's, who have traditionally been considered poor travelers.

It is clear that Australia has lost some of its mojo when it comes to playing tests on foreign shores. Especially in England.

Even the personnel is not good enough.

Besides their captain Micheal Clarke and Chris Rogers, none of the top 6 batsmen in their line up have a record to speak of in England.

While Rogers, mostly due to his significant exposure to English conditions through his county stints, averages slightly more (43) in England than he does in his career (40), Clarke averages 6 runs less in England.

David Warner has a career average of 46.47, but his average in England is almost half that - 25.9. In fact Warner's test record is entirely due to his record at home in Australia and his 3 centuries in 3 tests in South Africa, where pitches play similar to the way they play in Australia. In India, he averages a meager 24.4, and in West Indies, he averages 26.9.

Steven Smith has rapidly become Australia's most reliable batsman and the heir to the all important number 3 spot previously occupied by greats like Ponting, Langer, Boon, Chappell, and the greatest Sir Don Bradman. His career average of 55 and 9 test centuries in only 29 Tests shows why he is considered to be the best of the lot. But even he averages more than 20 runs less than his career in England! Smith's record is also inflated by his performance at home, which yields an average of 66 and 6 test centuries. He averages 34 in England and in the low 40s in India and the UAE.

Adam Voges is too new to be judged yet, but even that questions why the Australians would play a green batsman at 5 in an Ashes series when the likes of Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh are warming the bench.

Moreover, how can they even think of benching the Marsh brothers while playing Shane Watson at 6!??

Watson has a career Test average of 35. How that gets him into an Australian top 6 is beyond me. Australia's infatuation and persistence with Shane Watson is beyond me. He never really made is as a test cricketer, and now when he is over the hill, he is still being preferred. Mindboggling!

It is not only Australia's batsmen who do not perform on tour as well as they do at home; even their bowlers have found it tough in foreign locations.

Mitchell Johnson, who is this lean mean machine on Australian pitches and makes the batsmen hobble around, transforms into a medium pacer who is so easily bullied in England and other foreign locations. He averages 24.5 in Australia; his averages in New Zealand (23) and South Africa (25) are also respectable. However, in England he averages a shocking 41.9! He averages above 40 in India an Sri Lanka as well.

On top of all this, they lost Ryan Harris, the one bowler who was their premier strike bowler, especially in Ashes Tests.

So while Australia is still ranked number 2 in the ICC's test rankings, I believe they are grossly over rated. Their players dominate at home and become the tamed on tours. This used to be true for teams from India and England in the past.

Now, even he Aussies can be tamed.

There is no doubt in my mind that Younis Khan is the greatest test cricketer ever produced by Pakistan. There are very few Pakistan test records that he does not own. Those that don't belong to him, will be his very soon. He holds a few world records as well, and with the way he is going, he will make some more for sure.



1. Pakistan's Best Test Batsman

Younis Khan already has more test centuries than any other batsman from Pakistan; and 5 more than the next best tally of 25 by Inzamam. He is only 18 runs away from becoming the leading run scorer for Pakistan in test cricket; a record that has been held by Javed Miandad for over 2 decades. Younis is currently third on the list in terms of runs, but in terms of average he is well above the rest.



His unbeaten 171 that led Pakistan to a historic victory over Sri Lanka was Younis' 11th score of 150 or more, which is the highest number of 150+ scores for Pakistan in their history. He went past Javed Miandad who has 10 scores of 150 or more for Pakistan.

While Miandad's 10 innings include 6 double centuries, Younis' innings comprise 5 double centuries and 1 triple century. He is one of the only three Pakistani batsmen who have scored a triple century.

2. One of the World's Best Test Batsman

Younis is among the 10 highest run scorers in test cricket in the past 10 years. It is no surprise that he has played the least amount of tests among these 10 batsmen; significantly less at that. Among these 10 batsmen, Younis is one of the only two who average over 60; Sangakkara is the other one.


Yes, he has been better than KP, Cook, Ponting, Clarke, Kallis, and AB De Villiers in the past 10 years! Talk about being under rated!

Not only has Younis been better than his contemporaries, he has also been better than the popularly mentioned modern day great test batsmen. Here's a look at where the top 6 leading run scorers in test cricket were after 101 tests. It is so unfortunate that Younis has played only 101 tests in his 15 year career so far.


Younis has more runs than Dravid, Sachin, Ponting, and Kallis did; the same number of centuries as Sachin did; he is the only one along with Lara to have scored a triple hundred; and he has the best 50 to 100 conversion ratio among all of them.

And then all the names we hear are Sachin, Ponting. Kallis, Lara... Can you imagine where Younis would be if he played as much test cricket as these batsmen?

3. One of the Biggest Test Match Winners for Pakistan and in the World

Inzamam Ul Haq is the biggest match winner produced by Pakistan. His 4,690 runs at an average of 78 with 17 centuries in test match wins is unparalleled in Pakistan's test history. Younis Khan is not far behind and will probably end up a bigger match winner than Inzamam before his career ends.


In terms of averages among all batsmen that have scored at least 1,500 runs in test match wins for their countries, Younis Khan is right up there; behind only Sir Don Bradman, Inzamam, and Sir Gary Sobers.


4. The Best Batsman in the World in Tests away from Home

Everyone scores runs at home. Well almost everyone. A true test of a batsman comes when he plays in unfamiliar conditions away from home. In the history of test cricket, only Sachin and Dravid have scored more runs, and only Sachin has scored more centuries, than Younis has in tests away from home.


Furthermore, Younis Khan is the leading run scorer in the history of test cricket in test match wins away from home. He also has the most number of centuries in test wins away from home with his unbeaten 171 taking him past Steve Waugh's 14. And no one even comes close to him in terms of average in test wins away from home.


5. The Best Batsman in the World in 4th Innings of Tests

The 4th innings of a test match is the most difficult time to bat. The pitch has deteriorated, players have been in and out of the field for 3-4 days, and the pressure is at its peak considering that the batsmen are out there to either chase a target or save a match.

When it comes to performing in such situations, there is no one who is better at it than Younis Khan. He is the absolute king and by far the best batsman in the history of test cricket in the 4th innings.

Younis has scored 5 centuries in the 4th innings of tests, more than anyone else in the world. His 4th innings average among all batsmen who have scored at least 1,000 runs in the 4th innings is the highest in the world. He is the only batsman to average over 60 in the 4th innings in the history of test cricket.

Furthermore, Younis Khan's match winning unbeaten 171 against Sri Lanka beat his own personal 4th innings best of 131* and also created a new record for the highest score by a Pakistan batsman in the 4th innings; beating Saleem Malik's 155, which he also scored against Sri Lanka in 1997.

His 171* is also the 4th highest score ever in the 4th innings of a test in a successful chase, behind Greenidge's 214*, Morris' 182, and Bradman's and Butcher's 173*.

6. A King of Partnerships for Pakistan

Partnerships are the key to batting in international cricket. They help build strong totals, they help set targets, and they help chase down targets. And Younis Khan is the absolute king of partnerships for Pakistan.

He has now been involved in 61 century partnerships for Pakistan, which is the highest number for anyone from Pakistan.

He has added 3,137 runs at an average of 78.42 with Mohammad Yousuf, which is the most partnership runs by any Pakistan pair in tests.

He has 13 century partnerships with Misbah Ul Haq, which is the most for any Pakistan pair. He also has 9 century partnerships with Mohammad Yousuf.

Something that will never be captured by statistics is Younis Khan's impact on Pakistan's batting line up in terms of guiding younger batsmen. Fawad Alam, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, and now Shan Masood have Younis Khan to thank for reaching their maiden test hundreds. Each one of those batsmen reached their maiden test century while involved in a 100 run partnership with Younis Khan.

His 242 run partnership with Shan that set up victory for Pakistan has created records and that was not Younis Khan's first 200 run partnership with a young batsmen while guiding him towards his maiden century - he also put on 200 runs with Fawad Alam and 259 runs with Asad Shafiq.

This is the impact that Younis Khan has had on Pakistan's batsmen. Not only the younger ones, but even stalwarts like Yousuf, Inzamam, and Misbah have reached many of their test centuries with Younis at the other end.

He is the absolute king of test cricket for Pakistan and undoubtedly one of the best to ever play the game.

ICC's annual update of the test rankings pushed Pakistan down from number 3 to 6 just before the start of their series against Sri Lanka. For them to go back to number 3, Pakistan had to win the series against Sri Lanka. Something they had not managed to do in the island since 2006.

But they did it!

Pakistan won the test series 2-1, a scoreline that could have so easily been 3-0 for Sri Lanka.

First innings scores of 138 and 215 in the 2nd and 3rd tests respectively showed how inept Pakistan's batting line up can be. Yet it was two brilliant counter attacks with the bat that resulted in a series win for Pakistan.

In the 1st test, they had collapsed to 96-5 after Sri Lanka had posted 300 in the first innings when Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed came together. The two Karachi boys turned it on with so much confidence that it was hard to believe that Pakistan had lost their top 5 batsmen for under a 100.

Asad and Sarfraz put on 139 runs for the 6th wicket with Sarfraz playing in his usual aggressive fashion. His 96 off only 86 deliveries took the game away from Sri Lanka. Asad continued in his dogged style and added another 101 runs for the 9th wicket with Zulfiqar Babar. That was the first of the two times that Pakistan's batsmen turned it around during the series.

The next turnaround was even better.

With the series level at 1-1, Pakistan faced a daunting target of 377 and were staring at a series loss. At 13-2 the writing was on the wall and Pakistan's fate as test number 6 seemed certain. Social media was buzzing with criticism. A series that could have gone 3-0 for Pakistan was going to be lost 2-1 said some. Ahmed Shehzad was abused left, right, and center.

However, as always, there were some optimists out there who made outrageous statements like:

"Shan Masood 150 maarega"

"YK ka 200 likh lo"

"Buss Younis 100 kar jaye"

It all happened! I have all the messages saved to show the world that believers still exist.

Shan and Younis produced a fairy tale performance that made the dreamers smile like never before. It was a performance that could have only come from Pakistan to make sure the non-believers start believing in the magic again. It was a turnaround that was so often orchestrated by Wasim and Waqar in the 90s, but this time it was two batsmen doing it for Pakistan.

Shan and Younis added 242 runs for the third wicket in a series defining partnership.

Pakistan chased down 377 and won the match by 7 wickets, and the series 2-1. They made it look so easy; as if the target was just 150.

Off late, it has become common for Pakistan to create new records with every test series and this was like no other. Both kinds of records, team and individual, were achieved.

1. Pakistan's Highest Chase Ever - 377

For Pakistan, this is only the third time in their history that they have successfully chased down a target of over 300 in a test match.

It is by far their highest successful chase ever.












It is their highest 4th innings total ever.











It is the highest target ever achieved in a test in Sri Lanka.
It is the 2nd highest target ever achieved in a test in South Asia.
It is the 6th highest target ever achieved to win a test match.

2. Sarfraz Ahmed - Pakistan's Best Wicketkeeper Batsman Ever - Average > 50

Sarfraz Ahmed has been a match winner for Pakistan. He was there when Pakistan chased 302 against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in January last year. He was there during Pakistan's historic test series win over Australia. And he is there now. He hasn't been there merely; he has made his presence felt with the bat like no wicketkeeper ever has for Pakistan.

He is already among the only 7 wicketkeepers from Pakistan to score over 1,000 test runs. He has by far the best average among all of them, and at the rate he is going it will not be long before he displaces Kamran Akmal at the top of this list.

Sarfraz is not only one of the best in Pakistan, but he is also among the best in the world. He is among the only 3 wicketkeepers in the history of test cricket who have scored over 1,000 runs with an average of over 50.

The way Sarfraz' career has shaped up, I will not be surprised if he ends his career as the most successful wicketkeeper batsman ever.

3. The Younis-Shan Partnership - 242

If there was ever a partnership that could define "monumental", this would have to be it. At least in modern times. Everyone knows that the 4th innings is the most difficult innings to bat in; to score big in the 4th innings to save a test or to win one is by far the most fulfilling achievement for a batsman. So you can imagine what this 242 means for Pakistan, more so because it came after Pakistan had been reduced to 13-2.

In the 4th innings of a test, it is Pakistan's highest partnership ever, it is the highest partnership for the 3rd wicket ever, and it is the highest partnership against Sri Lanka ever.

It is the 4th highest and only the 7th 200 run partnership ever in the 4th innings to win a test.

4. Yasir Shah - The Best Leg Spinner in the World? - 61

With 61 wickets in 10 tests, Yasir Shah has achieved something that no other leg spinner ever did. Neither Shane Warne, nor any of Anil Kumble, Abdul Qadir, Stuart MacGill, or Clarie Grimmett had as many wickets as Yasir has after their first 10 tests.

During the series, Yasir became the first bowler from Pakistan to pick up 50 wickets before his 10th test. Yasir managed it in 9 tests breaking the record that was jointly held by the legendary Waqar Younis, Shabbir Ahmed, and Mohammad Asif.

Yasir reched his 50 test wickets in lesser time and fewer tests than any bowler in the history of Pakistan's test cricket. He left everyone from Imran Khan to Wasim, Waqar, Qadir, Mushtaq, Saqlain, Shoaib, Asif, and Ajmal behind.

Yasir is also one of the only 6 spinners in this world and one of the only 3 leg spinners in this world who managed 50 wickets in 9 tests or less. The only other leg spinners who managed this are Australia's Stuart Macgill and Arthur Mailey.

That is some elite company that Yasir is in.

How far can Yasir Shah go is anybody's guess, but for Pakistan he has turned out to be a trump card like none other. He has taken over from Saeed Ajmal like no one would have imagined and he has brought leg spin back as a weapon that Pakistan had so dearly missed. He is undoubtedly the best leg spinner in the world at the moment and if he can keep going the way he has started, he will also be remembered as one of the best leg spinners ever to play the game.

5. Misbah Ul Haq - Pakistan's Best Captain Ever? - 18

This was Misbah's 18th test win as captain. He is 4 clear of Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, Pakistan's (former) most successful test captains. Even though Misbah's W/L ratio is less than that of both Imran and Javed and his win % is less than many others like Wasim, Waqar, and Saleem Malik, Misbah has presided over some of Pakistan's most historic and iconic test victories.

Some include clean sweeping England when they were ranked number 1, beating Australia in a test series for the first time in 20 years, and now this chase against Sri Lanka.

It is not only these victories, which make Misbah Pakistan's most successful test captain, but also his batting. He finished the game off today with a 6 that took him to 4,000 career test runs, 2,992 of which have come as captain of Pakistan.

No one has scored as many runs as Misbah has as captain of Pakistan and he is only 8 runs away from becoming the only Pakistani cricketer to score 3,000 test runs as captain. Misbah's test average of 56.45 as captain of Pakistan is second only to that of Hanif Mohammad.

Misbah has not only scored lots of runs as Pakistan's captain, he has also scored more runs and more centuries as Pakistan's captain in test wins than anyone else. Yes, even more than Pakistan's biggest match winner ever, Inzamam Ul Haq.

6. Younis Khan - Pakistan's Best Test Cricketer Ever

He has achieved so much that I am going to dedicate an entire post to him. As I always do after every test series Pakistan plays in.