The five best knocks in a fine career

West Indies had skittled half the Pakistan side for less than 40 runs, after they chose to bat, but they had not planned for the unheralded Yousuf Youhana, who led the rescue act with a classy 115 in six hours, with 14 fours. His dismissal shortly before stumps on day one, brought the innings to an end and gave the persevering Walsh his 18th five-wicket innings return in Tests. At the time, Youhana rated this, his third Test century, as his best knock, over his debut hundred and his 95 against Australia in Brisbane.

Pakistan made a flying start, but India hit back hard to leave them in strife at 103 for 4. Youhana masterminded a recovery with a canny 100, and displayed the kind of maturity that would have made Javed Miandad proud. He paced his innings with precision, and never looked ruffled. His first fifty consumed 90 balls and focused on consolidation, before he opened up in grand style to bring up the second in 23, getting to an even hundred by lifting the last ball of the innings over long-on for six. He has taken the match beyond India's grasp, and the rivals were eliminated from the Asia Cup.

Four summers later, he would inflict more agony on the neighbours with another classic, this time while chasing. In front of a packed house, with a ticket to the next round of the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy at stake, Youhana's innings of determination clinched a thriller for Pakistan, against their bugbear in world tournaments. Pakistan needed 201 and India chipped away to leave them 27 for 3, but they had no way to get past the bulwark of the Pakistan middle-order. He added 75 with Inzamam, and remained composed and canny, hardly putting a foot wrong, to get Pakistan home with four balls to spare.

With Inzamam-ul-Haq out with a back injury, Youhana became Pakistan's first Christian captain, and hits 11 fours and four sixes in a brilliant first-day 111 off 134 balls in the Boxing Day Test. He shared a national record fourth-wicket stand against Australia of 192 in 46 overs with Younis Khan. There was nothing weak about the Australian attack - McGrath, Gillespie, Warne and Kasprowiscz - but he batted excellently, hitting Warne for three of his four sixes. His dismissal sparked off a collapse, and Pakistan went on to lose the match, but the Melbourne crowd knew it had witnessed a classic innings.

During the first Test of what was to become an excellent personal summer, Mohammad Yousuf arrived at the crease - after England had piled on 528 - with Pakistan 28 for 2, then 68 for 4, and parked himself comfortably at the holy altar of the game. He batted seven hours and 48 minutes for an impeccable double-hundred that featured 26 fours and a six in 330 balls. In the second innings, he scored a further 48 from 62 balls as Pakistan secured a draw. He came close to another double hundred in Leeds, en route to a record-breaking year when he scored a staggering 1788 runs.