Record-breaking Yousuf digs in for Pakistan Tuesday, November 28, 2006 02:04 [IST]
Karachi: Runmaking machine Mohammad Yousuf hit a world record eighth century in a
calendar year to anchor Pakistan's
innings in the third and final Test against the West Indies in Karachi on Monday.
The prolific 32-year-old batsman scored 102 before Corey Collymore trapped
him leg-before with a straight ball that kept low on a flat, grassless pitch at
the National Stadium.
Kamran Akmal (18) and Shahid Nazir (0) were at the crease when bad light
stopped play two overs early, with Pakistan on 257-7 after failing to
take advantage of winning the toss.
Yousuf broke the record of seven centuries in a year jointly held by West
Indian Vivian Richards and Aravinda de Silva of Sri Lanka.
Richards achieved the feat in 1976 when he also scored the most runs in a
calendar year -- 1,710 in 11 Tests.
Yousuf fell 47 runs short of overhauling Richards' other record but has one
more innings in this Test, Pakistan's
only one left this year, to break it.
He brought up his 22nd Test century by driving Daren Powell to mid-wicket
for three while on 99. His innings lasted 155 balls and 230 minutes and he hit
15 boundaries.
Yousuf, who converted from Christianity to Islam last year, played down his
achievements.
"I have broken one of Richards' many records but he was the greatest
batsman of this century and I can't match his shots," he said, adding that
he was also inspired by Pakistani great Javed Miandad.
"I am thankful to the Almighty that I am able to beat records and my
name is bracketed with the greats of the game. I want to score runs whenever my
team needs them from me," he said.
Yousuf, who hit a match-winning 192 in the first Test in Lahore
and a match-saving 191 in the second at Multan,
was once again lucky as wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin failed to hold an edge off
spinner Chris Gayle when he was on 63.
The tourists also dropped Yousuf on 108 in Multan
to let Pakistan off the
hook, and they put him down three times in Lahore.
He steadied the innings after Pakistan lost Mohammad Hafeez (18)
and Younis Khan (20) in the first session and then opener Imran Farhat (47)
after lunch.
Yousuf added 66 for the fourth wicket with captain Inzamam-ul-Haq (18) and
another four for the fifth wicket with Shoaib Malik (18).
But Pakistan lost Inzamam in the third over after tea, the skipper's poor
form continuing as he struggled for runs before driving uppishly to mid-off,
where Shivnarine Chanderpaul took a simple catch off part-timer Daren Ganga.
Jerome Taylor, the pick of the West Indies' bowlers in the series, trapped
Malik to leave Pakistan
at 5-222.
Collymore then dismissed Yousuf, while Bravo chipped in with the wicket of
Abdul Razzaq (seven) to leave Pakistan
at 248-7.
Yousuf's five consecutive Test centuries also put him joint second with
South African Jacques Kallis behind the legendary Australian Don Bradman, who
holds the record of six back-to-back hundreds in as many Tests, from 1936-1938.
Earlier, Collymore bowled Hafeez between his bat and pad, while Younis was
run out while taking a difficult single off Powell, who hit the stumps on his
follow through.
Farhat played a rash shot off Dwayne Bravo after hitting nine boundaries.
Pakistan
kept the same side for the second Test running, keeping an unchanged 11 in the
series. The West Indies brought back their
vice captain Ramnaresh Sarwan in place of spinner Dave Mohammed from their
second Test line-up |