COLOMBO — Pakistan is eager to celebrate senior batsman Younis Khan's 100th Test appearance with a series-clinching victory against Sri Lanka in the match starting Thursday in Colombo. Misbahul Haq's tourists are riding high after a 10-wicket triumph in the opening Test in Galle even though the first four sessions of the match were washed out. Misbah wants his team to perform equally well in the 37-year-old Younis' landmark Test at the P. Sara Oval and take an unbeatable lead in the three-match series — a feat which has eluded them on Sri Lankan soil since 2009. “Younis is the backbone and a very special member of the Pakistan team,” Misbah told reporters Wednesday. “Playing 100 Tests is a huge achievement for any cricketer. “He brings a lot of value to the team and brings a lot of good, positive energy. We all wish he can make his 100th Test memorable with a lot of runs. And we want to honor him by winning the match.” Younis will become only the fifth Pakistani to play 100 or more Tests after Javed Miandad (124), Inzamamul Haq (119), Wasim Akram (104) and Salim Malik (103). Younis' 8,594 runs put him in third place among Pakistan's leading run-getters in Tests behind Miandad, who scored 8,832 runs, and Inzamam, who had 8,829. Younis' 29 Test centuries, the same as Australian legend Donald Bradman, are the most by any Pakistan batsman. Inzamam is in second place with 25. Misbah said the tourists were hungry for further success after they fought back from early setbacks to record an emphatic win in Galle. The tourists bowled out Sri Lanka for 300 after electing to field first, but were themselves reduced to 96-5 before Sarfraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq launched a gritty fightback. The pair put on 139 for the sixth wicket in quicktime to turn the tables on Sri Lanka, with Shafiq making 131 and Sarfraz 96, as Pakistan gained a 117-run lead. Yasir Shah then ripped through the second innings with figures of 7-76 — the best by a leg-spinner on Sri Lankan soil — to bowl out the rivals for 206 before chasing down the 90-run target. “We gained a lot of confidence from the first Test and just want to carry that momentum in the remaining games,” the 41-year-old Misbah said. “Everyone is focused on tomorrow's Test. We can't afford to live in the past. Every new match is a fresh start.” Misbah hinted that all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was likely to bowl in the match even though umpires reported his action after the Galle Test for a second time in seven months. If his action is found to be illegal after testing, Hafeez will not be allowed to bowl for a year. Pakistan, meanwhile, recalled batsman Haris Sohail from the tour after he sustained a knee injury in practice, putting his participation in the one-day series that follows the Tests in doubt. The 26-year-old has yet to play a Test but has been a regular part of the one-day squad since 2013. He has hit seven fifties in 22 games and has a healthy average of 43. — Agencies
