Younis Khan Lets His Bat Talk to Reach Record-Equalling Century vs. Australia

Go on, build a team without me, I dare you. 

Just watch how hard you fall. 

With little restraint, that was the essence of Younis Khan's wrath for Pakistan's selectors last month when he was dumped from the nation's one-day international side prior to the three-game series against Australia in the UAE. 

Enraged by his axing—the Pakistan Cricket Board have effectively drawn a line through the batsman's name with regard to limited-overs cricket, even as the World Cup approaches—Younis pulled few punches, accusing the national board of wanting to "wave a magic wand" to orchestrate a change of fortune for the side, per ESPN Cricinfo. 

Among other things, he fumed at the "disrespect" given to him, blasted the board's rationale for his sacking, challenged them to construct a team without him, ridiculed their World Cup planning and suggested young players "[shouldn't] think about playing for Pakistan" if this is the treatment they can expect (his one-day axing quickly followed his decision to fly home early from Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka due to the death of his nephew).

But a savvy veteran, an intelligent cricketer, Younis would have known his tirade counted for little unless it were to be backed up with runs. 

Thus, the opening day of the first Test—the only format he's still involved in—against Australia in Dubai was, rather inevitably, an angry exercise of "I told you so" for the 36-year-old. A defiant, rage-fuelled exhibition with a clear message for the selectors: I'm still the best you've got. And it's not even close.

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Naturally, the Pakistani carried that feeling of indignation with him on Wednesday, but pleasingly, his opening-day hundred was typical Younis, made with a robust cocktail comprised of his strong defence and somewhat idiosyncratic stokes. 

Against the seamers he was watchful, unfazed by Mitchell Johnson's hostility while performing his rescue act. Reaping the rewards of that diligence, Younis was then quick to attack Australia's spinners, thriving against Nathan Lyon and debutant Steve O'Keefe to haul his nation from the brink of collapse on this baking Dubai afternoon and into a position of strength by the day's close.

Younis had arrived at the crease, after all, with the score at 7-2, a fact that won't have been lost on anyone, including the selectors.

The milestone, independent of its timing in relation to recent events, was hugely significant. 

In a career spanning nearly one-and-a-half decades and countless Pakistani controversies—Hassan Cheema colourfully reflects on Younis' tumultuous ride with his country for ESPN Cricinfo—Younis now stands level with Inzamam-ul-Haq for the most Test centuries for Pakistan with 25. 

Inzamam, of course, is a giant of the Pakistani game, a symbol of excellence from an era that now feels all too distant. But Younis' hundred on Wednesday gave him something his predecessor doesn't have: a complete set of centuries against all nine other Test-playing nations.

Since the introduction of Bangladesh to the Test arena, only 11 other men have achieved such a feat. 

But reflecting the PCB's callous handling of his international career, Younis' milestone was reached amid a greater sense of a point being proven, rather than one of celebration. 

The six that took him to three figures seemed to emphasise that; his brutal blow off Lyon that soared into the stadium's second tier serving as another incensed message for Pakistan's hierarchy. 

That he lifted his bat without a smile told its own story. 

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Stepping back, it's quite absurd—and an indictment on Pakistani cricket—that Younis felt he'd been backed into a position from which a point needed to be made. The owner of nearly 8,000 Test runs and an average of more than 51, he sits at ease with the finest in his nation's history. 

In the last decade (in games played since October of 2004), only Kumar Sangakkara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have bettered his Test average of 58.03. So often overlooked when discussing the sport's greatest, Younis' average in that time sits ahead of those belonging to Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene, Michael Clarke, Rahul Dravid and Kevin Pietersen, just to name a few. 

On Wednesday, there he was again, unflinching as his team lurched toward a disaster. There he was again, valiantly holding together the world's most volatile cricketing outfit, excelling in his own quietly defiant manner. 

"I give my 120 percent as a player, I am perhaps the only cricketer [for Pakistan who does so]," he said sharply during last month's scathing attack on the national setup. Frankly, it's alarmingly easy to see why he feels that way. 

But after his superb, record-equalling hundred against Australia, Younis can feel satisfied with the statement made by his bat, even if the team's management are intent on brazenly taking up his dare.