“This would be a big achievement for me”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Veteran batsman Younis Khan has only one goal in mind right now, and that is to become the first player from Pakistan to score 10,000 Test runs.

Younis is within touching distance of accomplishing the feat as he currently has 9,964 runs to his name in the longest format.

With just 36 runs separating him from joining an elite club, Younis will be looking to reach the milestone on the final day of the third Test against Australia on Saturday.

“I’m very near 10,000 runs. This would be a big achievement for me as a Pakistani because if you see that list, there is no Pakistani who achieved 10,000 runs,” he said. “But it all depends on the team and the (Pakistan Cricket Board), how they want me. I will be keep in touch with them, as they tell me what they need from me.

“Then I will decide how long I will play. My body is responding well at the moment.”

Reaching 10,000 Test runs would definitely put Younis in the mix of arguably being the best batsman Pakistan ever produced.

But when asked if he was the best, the 39-year-old said: “I can’t feel that I will be the greatest ever Pakistani player of all time. That list, you will see that Javed Miandad is there, Zaheer Abbas is there. There’s a lot of great players.

“But I want from people, my critics and my followers, (that) whenever I play, I play for my country and team. That is more important for me.

“When I retire, this is my vision – they all remember me as a fighter who played for his country.”