Left field

Where will Younis innings rank in Test history?

Kevin Fylan

Feb 25, 2009 00:54 UTC

Pakistan captain Younis Khan will be chasing Brian Lara’s record highest Test score of 400 when he resumes on 306 not out against Sri Lanka but no matter how many runs he racks up — 400, 450, 500 even — it is not going to be remembered as one of the great Test knocks.

It’s not the fault of Younis, who has by all accounts batted impeccably in helping Pakistan avoid the follow-on.

But great feats of sporting endeavour, the sort you can imagine boasting to your grandchildren that you saw with your own eyes, come in less friendly circumstances than this Test, where each wicket has come at a cost of more than 100 runs.

I won’t pretend for a second to be capable of picking a list of the great Test innings, but a couple of examples will make the point.