Name: Younis Khan

Birth date: 1977-11-29

Hometown: Mardan

Teams: Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited, Nottinghamshire, Peshawar Cricket Association, Rajasthan Royals, South Australia Redbacks, Yorkshire

Debut: 13th Feb 2000

ODI Best: 144 | 1/3

Test Best: 313 | 2//23

Younis Khan is Pakistan’s flamboyant middle order batsman. A ‘livewire’ of a character in the Pakistan dressing room and now captain.

A slow starter by international standards, it took him 4 years to cement his place in the Pakistani side. Heavily criticized by his detractors, he silenced his critics after a prolific tour to Australia whilst the rest of the team capitulated ‘Down Under’.

He was appointed Inzaman’s vice-captain soon after, excelling in the role – stepping in for Inzamam on a number of occasions, it was clear that Younis was a naturally gifted captain in the making.

It’s against India that he has unleashed his fury – series after series he has punished their bowling, amassing a mountain of runs in the process. Younis also joined an elite list of players to score a triple century in a test match against Sri Lanka in February 2009. He showed immense discipline and concentration to play almost two full days in Karachi heat for 313 runs.

And he's a superb fielder - a rarity in the current Pakistan side. Of late he has also surprised many with his useful seam bowling,

Younis finally accepted the role of captain after Shoaib Maliks removal, but didnt enjoy a great start against Australia in the UAE with criticism of his tactics from some quarters. However that did not deter Younis and he continued to back his players to acheive success. The support and harmony in the squad paid dividends in the 2009 T20 World Cup. Younis Khan rallied his troops and played some exceptional captain knocks along the way as he became only the second captain of Pakistan to bring home a World Cup.

He continued the good form by taking Pakistan to a semi final at the Champions Trophy later that year (Pakistan being the only team to make it to the top 4 in both tournaments). However weak and irresponsible match-fixing allegations prompted him to once again step down from the role of captain. However further support from the Pakistani public and the PCB made Younis reverse his decision. Following a poor one day series against NZ in the UAE however Younis Khan stepped away from the Pakistani team citing a rest missing the test series against New Zealand and Australia.

Pakistan need Younis Khan as an experienced middle order batsmen to stabilise the Pakistani side.