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Cricket World Player of the Week - Younis Khan

by Sandeep Shivam Monday 15 August 2016

Younis Khan scored an unbeaten 218 for Pakistan in the first innings of the fourth Test.

©REUTERS / Action Images

For scoring the highest individual score at number five for Pakistan and leading his team to a historic series levelling win in the fourth Test against England at Kennington Oval, Younis Khan is the Cricket World Player of the Week.

It was Sohail Khan's five-wicket haul which restricted England to 328 in the first innings despite a fabulous century by Moeen Ali and fifty by Jonny Bairstow. In response, Pakistan were 127 for three at one stage before Khan and Asad Shafiq shared a brilliant 150-run stand to take the visitors inch closer to the England total.

Shafiq himself scored a fine century but his dismissal gave England a chance to make a comeback in the game but Khan continued his marathon innings and shared a vital 77-run stand with Sarfraz Ahmed and another 97-run partnership with Mohammad Amir to ensure a massive 214-run lead in the first innings.

The telling blow came from Yasir Shah as he became the first spinner since 1998 to pick a five-wicket haul while conceding less than 100 runs to dismiss England for 253 setting a target of 40 for Pakistan in the final innings which they completed with 10 wickets in hand.

The third Test between India and West Indies at Darren Sammy National Stadium saw Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha scored centuries to rescue India from 126 for five to 353. Even though, West Indies were placed well at 202 for three, a five-wicket haul from Bhuvneshwar Kumar ensured India took the remaining seven wickets for just 23 runs.

An unbeaten 78 from Ajinkya Rahane took India to 217 for seven before the declaration came setting a target of 346 runs in the final innings. However, a collective effort from the Indian bowlers dismissed West Indies for 108 to secure a 237-run victory for the visitors which also gave them a 2-0 lead.

The first two days of the third Test in Colombo had a lot of twist and turns with Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva scoring centuries to rescue Sri Lanka from 26 for five to 355 runs in the first innings. Mitchell Starc also hogged the limelight as he picked his third consecutive five-wicket haul in the series.