I see my younger self in him: Younis Khan on Mohammad Rizwan

Abhishek Singh


Pakistan batting coach Younis Khan believes that stand-in Test skipper Mohammed Rizwan is much like him, especially in the manner that he struggles at the beginning of the innings to pick the right length, and then when he gets in the groove, he is just unmatchable. 

"When I see him, I see him, like me, struggling first and then regathering myself to find my game. It isn't just about this Test match… even in the T20 series, when he was struggling in the first two games, it was like me struggling, and then I got to know my game and have to change a little accordingly,” Khan was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. 

Talking about the advice that he would like to offer to the young wicket-keeper batsman, Khan, 43, said, "My advice was very simple for him, to play his natural game. You just go and spend some time at the pitch and things will suddenly start coming to you. He did that in the third T20 and he has taken his form into the Test series.” 

“He knows his role, his strengths, and weaknesses. He is a captain as well and with the runs, he is leading from the front,” the coach added. 

While Rizwan was run out on 71, Faheem Ashraf, the all-rounder, went on to make 91 runs and batted with the tail to avoid follow on. Praising him, Younis said that Pakistan has been looking for someone like him for a long time. 

"We need players like Faheem Ashraf. It's not just me, but other coaches, especially Waqar Younis, who was very keen to give him more chances in Test cricket. He offers us something we have been missing since Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood (retired). Batting is all about patience and he is improving with every passing day, and he has all the potential in him to become the all-rounder we need,” said Younis. 


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