Pakistan Test batsman Younus Khan says cricket in his homeland will wither away through a lack of top-line competition. The 30-year-old right-hander is playing a part-season for South Australia in Australian domestic cricket and last week scored a match-saving 71 not out in South Australia's second innings against New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield game here. Australia has not toured Pakistan over security fears since 1998. It forced Pakistan to relocate a series to the neutral grounds of Sri Lanka and Sharjah in 2002 after the Australian government advised it against touring in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks the year before. Australia again postponed its full tour of Pakistan in March this year over security fears and only agreed to reschedule the tour into two visits for a one-day series in 2009 and for Tests in 2010. And Australian players were at the forefront of boycotting the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September, which has now been postponed until October next year. Younus warned cricket in Pakistan will fall away if it remained starved of visiting top-line opponents. “At the moment we are in very bad shape,” Younus told The Australian newspaper Saturday. “In Pakistan there are a lot of very good people. But because of some mad people, perhaps five percent of the population, because of them we are suffering at the moment. “The Pakistani people are not like that. They love Australian cricket. They love to watch Brett Lee bowling, or Shaun Tait, or Ricky Ponting, they say ‘oh what a fantastic player Ricky Ponting is'. “If they're not touring, we will be suffering. It will be very bad for us.” Less than two weeks after arriving from Pakistan, Younus has some claim to being the most popular member of the South Australian team, the newspaper said. Team physio Jon Porter said of Younus: “Mate, he's brilliant. I've never met a happier bloke. Even when (New South Wales) made 550 he didn't stop smiling.” Younus has scored 4,816 runs in 58 Tests at an average of 49.14, with 15 centuries, and has played in 175 One-Day Internationals for Pakistan since 2000. Big win for South Africa Jean-Paul Duminy hit 90 and took three wickets with his off-spin as South Africa scored a comfortable 159-run win against Kenya in the first One-Day International at Springbok Park Friday. South Africa made 336 for seven and bowled Kenya out for 177. The left-handed Duminy, 24, confirmed his reputation as one of South Africa's most talented young players with an elegant innings. He made his career-highest score off 88 balls with eight fours before he holed out to long-off with three overs remaining in the innings. Duminy followed up his batting effort by taking three for 31, also a career-best, making his first strike with his fourth delivery when he ended an attacking innings by Alex Obanda, who top-scored for Kenya with 38. Fellow off-spinner Johan Botha, captaining South Africa in the absence of the injured Graeme Smith, also claimed the best figures of his career, taking four for 19 as the slow bowlers worked their way through Kenya's batting.
