Younis’s 218 was the centrepiece of Pakistan’s first-innings 542 all out.
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Younis’s sixth innings of 200 or more in Test cricket was a dramatic way for him to end a run of low scores.
“The evening session hurt us as a team”, he said.
Victory would earn Pakistan a 2-2 series draw and maintain their hopes of moving to the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings.
Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan: “Pakistan were fantastic at Lord’s, had an off game at Old Trafford, came back strongly at Edgbaston but just had that iffy last day and a half, and they’ve been tremendous here”.
“The way I started here, the first 100 in warm-up and a 50 as well, I thought it would go well”. I have to mention the way Mickey Arthur and the support staff have pushed me and supported me. “We’ve been in these situations before so we will come out tomorrow (Sunday) and fight for this Test”.
England suffered an early setback in their second innings when captain Alastair Cook (seven) was dismissed by a lifting Wahab Riaz delivery.
If Shafiq came into this game on the back of a miserable third Test, Younus had not passed 33 in six innings in the series. In the process, England also lost a review, and Hales’s exit meant he ended the series with a tally of just 145 runs at an average of 18.12.
By tea, at the approximate halfway mark of the fourth and final Test, Younis’s efforts had carried Pakistan to a formidable lead of 214, a remarkable improvement of their overnight advantage of 12, and testament to how expertly he had coaxed the best of a previously brittle Pakistan tail.
James Vince, yet to make a Test fifty, was in even greater need of a score to cement his place in the side.
Pakistan’s top Test runscorer was jumping all over the crease before this match and looked all at sea against England’s pace attack.
Only past year he scored 468 runs in a two-Test series against the Baggy Greens in the UAE, hitting 231 in Abu Dhabi and twin centuries in the second Test in Dubai as Pakistan wrapped up a 2-0 win.
There was no respite for England whatsoever with Shah (3-15) had Hales and James Vince (0) dismissed in his first two overs and later on accounted for the wicket of Root as well to leave England in deep trouble at 74 for four.
In the morning, Pakistan had resumed on 340 for 6 after Asad Shafiq (109) and Younis (101*) had both compiled impressive centuries.
Younis completed his double hundred in style when he advanced down the pitch to drive Moeen for a fourth six in 281 balls.
It took Younis 13 balls before he tucked his first run, through square leg off Stuart Broad, and the day was eight overs old before he cashed in with his first aggressive stroke, a firm carve through point as Anderson offered too much width. The batsman chose to review the decision as the off cutter appeared to be going down but to the home crowd’s delight, it had just clipped the leg stump as Younis was given a standing ovation.
Given that he had managed only 122 runs in six innings before in this series, what he produced yesterday was tailor-made for his team – and more than deserved the standing ovation he received from a packed Kia Oval when Jimmy Anderson finally got him lbw on 218.
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Ballance survived a close Pakistan referral for lbw in Shah’s next over.
