"I am what my parents have made me, my family should be crowned for my achievements, especially my brothers. I had 5 siblings, so everything I needed was there within the family: mentors, fellow players, even the coaches. My favorite test moment still remains my debut test. Srilankans were up against us, Rawalpindi, year 2000. But only 2 years later, my sister died, I was really close to her, we were playing Srilanka at that time too. Then my father died in 2004, while I was in Australia. Then my brothers, one after another. Every time a death took place in my family, I would be engaged in an international affair. But Allah kept me firm and tough. Then Bob (Woolmer) died tragically, and suddenly we were suspects. Those we very difficult days for me. Time after time, there were days there was pleasure, then there was pain. But I always thanked Allah throughout my career. I always thanked him for my health, for I knew I could achieve everything I wanted if only my health remained by my side. I was made the captain soon after. Pakistan was going through hard times. Operation Rah-e-Nijaat was underway and there were millions of IDPs in KPK. We had a young team, with limited resources. But I saw the fire in their eyes. In picking a winner I could see no further than ourselves. And so, I promised my nation that I would win the T20 world cup for them and dedicate it to my brothers who were refugees in their own country. And we did that, a monumental achievement! In 2014, my nephew died of cancer and soon after I got dropped from the ODI team. I considered retiring then. I was on the verge of perishing and vultures could smell the blood. Again, Allah and the strength I carried from my family made me come back. I scored 2 hundreds and a double in 4 innings against the Australians. It wasn’t like moving the chess pieces smartly, it took courage. Some serious courage.
Pakistani players had surpassed the 8,000 runs mark milestone before, we have a history that turns our collars to the sky. But I always dreamed of surpassing 10,000 test runs. And here’s Younus Khan, the 1st Pakistani to score 10,000 test runs! I’m not happy for myself to have done that, I’m happy for Pakistan. This is Pakistan’s achievement, not just mine.
It made me sad when despite all your achievements, one bad performance made everything crash down upon us. People suddenly started discussing when should we retire! It made me sad when two senior batsmen were well-set on the crease and our crowd chanted and demanded to us to get out so that their favorite star could walk in, just because our innings were not box office. But I left all that sadness behind. I will continue to serve Pakistan, in one form or another. People ask me why I’m retiring? The answer lies within the question. I wanted to retire before the time when people would ask me why I’m not retiring. This is it! The time has come to leave as a player. But I’m not leaving the canvas of the game. The fire still burns within. The mind is willing, the flesh is tight. Only time marches on, only time." Younis Khan
