Younis Khan | Pakistan World Cup | 2015

Determined, with an appetite for big scores (he has already scored the most hundreds for a Pakistani) and gifted with the ability to explode if the situation warrants, Younis Khan is one of the finest — if not the best — middle-order batsmen Pakistan has produced.

A powerful driver of the ball who does not hesitate to go over the top, Younis is also an exquisite cutter and puller. He thrives under pressure, and has an exceptional fourth-innings record, especially in successful chases.

Younis scored 107 on Test debut in 2000, and hundreds kept coming throughout his career. He hit his first major purple patch in 2005 and 2006 against India, a phase that included 267 and 84 not out at Chinnaswamy (that resulted in a rare Pakistani Test victory on Indian soil) and a run of 199, 83, and 194 at home.

His other epic, a humongous 760-minute 313, came after Sri Lanka piled up 644 for seven. The hundreds kept coming (he slammed two more double-hundreds), and he finally reached what can perhaps be called his peak, in 2014, when he scored 1,064 runs at 66.50 with five hundreds. This included a streak of 106, 103 not out, 213, 46, and 100 not out in UAE.

Younis used to be an exceptional fielder in the bat-pad area in his early days and gradually migrated to slips as he grew in stature. Also an inspirational leader, Younis had led Pakistan to the World T20 title in 2009.