Recently retired Pakistan batting legend and all-time leading run scorer for the country, Younis Khan, opened up about his best Test XI at an event recently. Khan, who ended his career in some style with a historic series win over the West Indies in the Caribbean, ended his career as Pakistan’s leading run-maker in Test cricket with over 10,000 career runs to his name.
With the current trend of past legends selecting their best Test XI, which comprises of the cricketers that have influenced them, Younis too had his pick. The stylish batsman went in for a surprise as he opted for Sachin Tendulkar as an opener in his XI. Along with Tendulkar, Younis chose yesteryear Pakistan batting great Hanif Mohammad at the top. Mohammad still holds the record for the longest ever Test inning in terms of minutes, at a staggering tally of 937.
Younis picked an array of all-rounders for his team which included three legends in the form of Jacques Kallis, Sir Garfield Sobers and Imran Khan. The latter was named as the captain of his side, which also included Richard Hadlee and Glenn McGrath as the new ball bowlers. From the spin front, Younis opted for Sri Lankan legend and all-time leading Test wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan over Shane Warne.
Below, is Khan’s best Test XI which he chose.
- Hanif Mohammad
- Sachin Tendulkar
- Jacques Kallis
- Brian Lara
- Viv Richards
- Garfield Sobers
- Adam Gilchrist (wk)
- Imran Khan (c)
- Richard Hadlee
- Muttiah Muralidaran
- Glenn McGrath
The batsman also spoke about the upcoming India-Pakistan game in the ICC Champions Trophy and backed his team despite being the underdogs.
“Pakistani side has the ability to beat India in Champions Trophy as Pakistan has outperformed India in the past as well,” Khan said. “Pitches look good and in my opinion, even 400 runs will be easily chased down in the Champions Trophy,” he added.