Legend Younis bats for Indo-Pak matches

Abu Dhabi - Younis is enjoying every bit of the time with his family. However, when he hits the streets, the 39-year-old is pestered with questions as to why he quit cricket so early

The sport of cricket is universal. There can be boundaries between nations but not in cricket, said Younis Khan in an exclusive chat with Khaleej Times. The legendary cricketer supports more matches between India and Pakistan, and said the neighbours should take care of each other.
Younis has retired from all forms of international cricket in May this year but the record holder for the most runs and centuries by a Pakistani in Test history isn't really cooling his heels yet. "I am super busy. Since 2009, we were always away from home as not much cricket was played in Pakistan. And in the last 7-8 years, the distance between loved ones has grown. I am doing catch up now. I always thought about having a relaxed retirement life but this has turned out to be a hectic one," he said over the phone from Pakistan.
Younis is enjoying every bit of the time with his family. However, when he hits the streets, the 39-year-old is pestered with questions as to why he quit cricket so early. "I drop my children to school and meet people from all walks of life. And all of them ask me just one question: Why you have left cricket? You could have gone on for another 4-5 years. I feel very happy to get such feedback as it is important for me to be remembered as a good player."
And in between he does catch cricket action on TV. "I am happy seeing a young Pakistani team do wonders on the field."
The Pathan from Mardan is excited about cricket returning to Pakistan with the final T20 against Sri Lanka being played in Lahore.
"(PCB chairman) Najam Sethi has taken good steps in this regard. Earlier, Zimbabwe came, and then World XI and now Sri Lanka will play. It is important to host such matches and all, in fact, the whole world should support Pakistan. Unless cricket is played at home, how youngsters will take to the game," he asked.
"We became cricketers after seeing the likes of Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Majid Khan playing. They motivated us. Whenever a top player is playing at home, youngsters and children come and such experiences give birth to big players. Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Imran Khan and all would have been inspired in this way only."
Supporting more cricket between nations in the sub-continent, he said there are problems and security issues in other parts of the world too.
"There were security challenges to the Fifa World Cup in Brazil but sport should be promoted as it brings nations closer. Cricket diplomacy is the only factor which brings India and Pakistan closer. We need to promote cricket as nations and youngsters benefit from this. Indian players like Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sunil Gavaskar have lakhs of fans in Pakistan and youngsters in India do follow cricketers from Pakistan. There are no boundaries, region or religion bias in cricket. The sport of cricket is a religion in its own that binds nations together and brings them on a common ground."
He remembers matches against India as if it happened just yesterday. "There should be more matches played between both countries. We all - Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - are neighbours and should take care of each other."
Younis will be in Abu Dhabi for the first two T20s on Thursday and Friday. And lucky two winners of social media contest will get a one-on-one batting session with the Pakistan legend on the main pitch of Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium during the T20 matches.- ashwani@khaleejtimes.com