Imran Khan was perhaps the last Pakistani cricketer who retired with grace after accomplishing what no one before him had.

And now, after all these years, another Khan and another Niazi, have bid farewell to the game like no one before them. One after a series where he became the first Pakistani batsman to reach 10,000 test runs; the other after becoming the first Pakistani captain to win a test series in the Caribbean.

These two feats are just the icing over the unparalleled careers that the two legends, Younis Khan and Misbah Ul Haq, have had.

I don't think any Pakistani cricketer got a send off as grand and as epic as these two did, and boy did they deserve it!

Talk about an epic farewell series.

Talk about an epic last test match of your career.

Even if one had put the best writers to task, no one would have scripted the end better than the way it folded in front of our eyes during the last session at Windsor Park in Dominica last night.

Pakistan had waited 60 years for this victory. Imran Khan had spent half his career trying to achieve this victory.

Surely it is not the same West Indies; but it hasn't been for two decades now and yet Pakistan never managed to win a series there.

Till last night.

The last hour, while Roston Chase blocked and blocked and blocked, all those memories of bad umpiring decisions, missed run outs, lost opportunities came haunting back.

That hour was so nerve wrecking for us fans that one can only imagine what Misbah, Younis, and the other nine men on the field would have been going through.

Anything less than a win would have been such a depressing end to two legendary careers.

Anything less than a win would have meant that Pakistan lost the best chance they had at a series win in the Caribbean.

Pakistan held on though.

They held on to their belief and they kept fighting.

You could see the Pakistanis flustered though. Yasir was running in faster, bowling a little faster and flatter, almost as if he was in some hurry. Probably to get in as many overs as possible.

Till that final delivery.

All nine fielders moved in closer.

They were all right under Gabriel's nose.

Everyone knew the importance of that delivery, but no one more than Yasir.

He delivered it a bit slower than the rest of his over.

It came looping down enticing Gabriel.

And the rest ...

What an end seriously. What an epic end for Misbah and Younis.

In the just concluded test between Pakistan and the West Indies, Younis Khan became the 13th batsman in the world, and the first batsman from Pakistan, to reach the coveted feat of 10,000 test runs.

Here are some interesting facts and stats regarding the 13 members of the 10K Club:

1. All of the 13 batsmen have captained their countries in test matches. All of them, besides Kallis, have been appointed full time test captains for their nations. Kallis filled in on 2 occasions.
2. Younis, Lara, and Jayawardene were the only batsmen who had scored a triple century by the time they reached 10K. Besides Kallis, each one had scored a double hundred.
3. Ricky Ponting had the most centuries (35) by the time he reached 10K. Younis, Sachin, and Gavaskar had 34 each.
4. Younis Khan has the best 50 to 100 conversion ratio among the batsmen in the 10K club.
5. Steve Waugh and Alastair Cook are the only batsmen that were not averaging 50 at the time of reaching 10K.
6. Younis Khan's 70 sixes at the time of reaching 10K are the most sixes hit at the time of reaching 10K.
7. Alastair Cook and Sunil Gavaskar are the only openers in the 10K club.
8. Ricky Ponting had the best average on reaching 10K.
9. Waugh, Cook, Border, Lara, and Ponting were all captaining their country when they reached 10K.
10. Only Steve Waugh and Rahul Dravid scored hundreds in the innings they scored their 10,000th test run.
11. Cook, Lara, Kallis, and Jayawardene are the only members of the 10K club who did not score at least a 50 in the test they reached 10K.
12. Brian Lara reached 10K the fastest in terms of innings.
13. Cook, Tendulkar, Jayawardene, and Younis Khan are the only ones who were part of the winning side in the test where they scored their 10,000th run.
14. Younis Khan, at 39 (officially), is the oldest batsman to reach the landmark.
15. Sunil Gavaskar reached 10K in his second last test match. Younis has done so in his third last.

1. Barring injury, Misbah will end his career having captained Pakistan in 56 tests and becoming the 9th most capped captain in the world and second most capped from the subcontinent after MS Dhoni.
2. One win will give Misbah 25 test wins as captain, taking him past Alastair Cook. Three wins will take him past Mark Taylor and Michael Vaughan, and place him level with Sir Viv Richards, MS Dhoni, and Hansie Cronje.
3. Younis Khan is 23 runs away from becoming the first batsman from Pakistan to score 10,000 runs in test cricket.
4. Younis Khan requires another 146 runs to surpass Sunil Gavaskar's test runs tally of 10,122 and become the 5th most prolific test batsman from the Subcontinent.
5. Younis Khan needs one more century to become the first batsman from Pakistan to score 35 test centuries. If he scores two centuries he will join Rahul Dravid with 36 test centuries, the 5th most in the world and 3rd most by a batsman from the subcontinent.
6. Misbah is 49 runs away from completing 5,000 runs in test cricket. He will become the 7th batsman from Pakistan to score 5,000 test runs.
7. Misbah requires another 112 runs to surpass Zaheer Abbas' runs tally of 5,062 to become the 6th highest run scorer from Pakistan in tests.
8. Misbah is 47 runs away from becoming the first batsman from Pakistan to score 4,000 test runs as captain. Another 4 runs will take Misbah past Michael Clarke's runs tally of 3,946 and place him at 9th for most runs as test captain. 

I will definitely do a numbers post on these two extremely prolific batsmen, but that will have to wait till the three tests against the West Indies are over.

There will be a few more records and much else to celebrate then - Pakistan's first 10K in tests, Pakistan's first 4K as Test captain, and quite possibly Pakistan's first 35th test ton.

Numbers however, will only tell half the story in the case of these two stalwarts. Their services to Pakistan's test cricket over the past decade are incomparable.

Both Younis Khan and Misbah Ul Haq will be missed immensely, not only for the runs they produce in the middle, but more so for their respective contributions off the field, in the dressing room, and on the other players.






























YOUNIS KHAN

He is Pakistan's very own King Khan.

Besides claiming every single test batting record there is to claim for Pakistan, Younis has had an impact like no other on an entire generation of batsmen.

He has been a major guiding force for many young batsmen, an instrumental contributor to the success of these batsmen, and a true role model that the likes of Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood all look up to.

Younis has built partnerships with each one of the above mentioned batsmen that have taken Pakistan to great achievements. There is a reason why no one else from Pakistan has been a part of as many century partnerships in tests than Younis Khan has. He scores runs himself and he enables his partner to accumulate plenty of runs as well.

Each of Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, and Umar Akmal will tell you a story about how Younis Khan helped them reach their first test hundred. Many others will tell you how easy Younis makes it for his partners while he is at the crease. Pakistan's coaches will tell you how hardworking and dedicated Younis Khan is. Pakistan's test captains will tell you the impact Younis Khan has on the dressing room.

It is these things that cannot be measured by numbers that Younis Khan will be mostly remembered for.

MISBAH UL HAQ

Captain Fantastic!

From taking on the reigns of Pakistan's test team in 2010 following the spot fixing scandal to breaking all the captaincy records there are to break for Pakistan, Misbah Ul Haq has been an exceptional leader.

He has taken Pakistan's test cricket to heights never witnessed before. He took the team out of turmoil, instilled belief and confidence in them, developed a culture like never before, and achieved unprecedented results.

Misbah's achievements as a leader in whites are incomparable.

Never has Pakistan's test cricket seen such continuity in selection and such stability in a batting order over 6-7 years; credit for all of this is to Misbah who has led these men with aplomb.

Enabled by Misbah, the team has broken records, the batsmen have broken records, and Misbah himself has broken records. Such is the greatness of this test team that the records they have established since 2010 will probably remain Pakistan's records for a long time to come.

Azhar Ali's rise since his debut in 2010 has been quite exciting to watch.

He is not the most pleasing batsman to watch; much like the way he accumulates his runs one requires a lot of patience to sit through an Azhar Ali Test innings. For the traditional fans, it is a treat really.

Azhar Ali made his 50th test match truly memorable with a monumental triple century and reaching the landmark of 4,000 test runs.

After Hanif Mohammad, Inzamam Ul Haq, and Younis Khan, Azhar Ali became the 4th batsman from Pakistan to hit a triple hundred. After Hanif Mohammad, he is only the second opener from Pakistan to achieve this feat.

He also became the first batsman since Hanif Mohammad to score a triple hundred against the West Indies; 58 years after the feat achieved by the original Little Master.

Azhar now holds the record for the highest test score ever in the UAE and at the Dubai Cricket Stadium; he also became the first batsman to score a hundred, double hundred, and triple hundred in a day night test match.

His 302* will probably remain the highest score in a day night test for a long long time. I am willing to place a wager on that! You can visit www.gamblingsitesonline.org to find the best odds before placing your bets.

Besides all this, there were a number of milestones Azhar achieved during his monumental knock.

4,000 Test Runs

He became the 10th batsman from Pakistan to reach the 4,000 run landmark in tests. Among the 10 batsmen, he took the least amount of time - 6 years and 92 days and second least number of matches - 50.

 In terms of innings however, Azhar took a few more than Miandad, Younis, Saeed, Zaheer, and Yousuf.

Leading Run Scorers in Tests Since July 2010

During the period since his debut, Azhar is the second highest run scorer from Pakistan and among the 10 leading run scorers in tests in the world.

Well ahead the likes of Kohli and AB De Villiers.

Highest Average in 2016

Azhar's unbeaten triple hundred not only placed him among the leading run scorers in test cricket this year, but also placed him right at the top with the highest test batting average this year.

One of the Best Number 3 from Pakistan

Now that Azhar has become Pakistan's test opener, he may no longer be able to break Younis Khan's record for most runs scored for Pakistan in tests from the number 3 position. But the fact that he sits in second place behind King Khan is nothing short of a great achievement.

Now that Azhar Ali is opening for Pakistan in tests, he may become their leading run scorer as an opener in tests. He has already knocked 500 runs in 8 innings as a test opener and it won't be long before he becomes the first opener from Pakistan to score 4,000 test runs.

By picking up his 100th test match wicket in the first test against the West Indies, Yasir Shah reached the landmark in just his 17th test match.

Only one bowler, George Lohmann, got there faster, while three other bowlers, Barnes, Turner, and Grimmett took the same number of matches. Yasir is the second spinner after Grimmett to achieve the feat in just 17 tests.


Not only did Yasir create a new Pakistan record, which was previously held by Saeed Ajmal (19 tests), he also created a new Asian record by getting there faster than India's Ravi Ashwin, who picked up his 100th test wicket in his 18th test.

Before the start of Pakistan's first test against the West Indies, Ashwin tweeted a good luck message to Yasir Shah, who was on the verge of breaking the Asian record.


Ashwin has recently been very gracious towards the Pakistanis. He also tweeted about wanting to watch Babar Azam bat.

After Yasir created the new record, Ashwin tweeted a congratulatory message as well.


While Yasir thanked Ashwin for his tweets, he also said that he would love to play against him in a test, which ended up stirring a debate among the public on who the better spinner is.

I also had a discussion on the same with a friend from across the border, who obviously thought that Yasir was no where close to Ashwin.

I don't hold that against him for Ashwin is currently the number 1 ranked bowler in test cricket and he also created a new Asian record by picking up his 200th test wicket in his 37th test, breaking Waqar Younis' record of reaching the landmark in 38 tests.

However, the best way to compare Yasir and Ashwin is to probably assess their performances at the same stage of their careers - 17 tests.


Not taking anything away from Ashwin, but Yasir does have more wickets at a better average and strike rate than Ashwin after 17 tests.

Currently, Ashwin has 220 wickets from 39 tests, so his 20 odd tests after the first 17 have definitely been better in terms of performance, but there is no way to tell which way Yasir Shah will go in his next 20 tests.

Given that India and the UAE are fortresses for the two great bowlers, I wanted to compare their performances away from home as well.


While Yasir's performance in tests away from home is quite similar to his overall record, there is quite a huge discrepancy in Ashwin's record.

Based on the above, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that majority of Ashwin's success has been driven by the dust bowls produced in India.

70% of Ashwin's wickets have come in India; he gives 9 runs less to pick up a wicket in India; and he bowls 13 fewer deliveries for a wicket in India.

Those are eye opening numbers.

Whether Ashwin would have taken as many wickets as he has if he was not playing tests in India is anybody's guess.

My guess is NO.

On the other hand, Yasir Shah has not played a single test in Pakistan. His success is built as much in the UAE as it is on foreign shores.

Sure Ashwin is the number 1 ranked bowler in tests, but Yasir is ahead of him at the 17-test mark, and Yasir is ahead of him in terms of overseas performance.

Taking nothing away from Ashwin's achievements, I wanted to close this debate by mentioning that Ashwin is the same bowler that Afridi hit for two sixes in the final over of the Asia Cup match in 2014 to take Pakistan to victory !

I will revisit this comparison when Yasir picks up his 200th test wicket; we will surely have a more clearer picture then, but for now, I am signing off by picking Yasir ahead of Ashwin.