Antiguans had seen the World Record for most number of runs in an innings fall twice and today there will be an opportunity for the cricket starved public in Karachi to witness the World Record falling in their own soil.

And Brian Lara will certainly be a worried man and the new hero in world of cricket is set to be Younis Khan, the newly anointed Pakistani captain.

As the first Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan dragged to a high scoring draw, it provided an opportunity for Younis to stake claims to a few personal milestones and he lit up the National Cricket Stadium with the third triple hundred by a Pakistani.

Pakistan are still 70 runs behind as they reached 574 for five at stumps in reply to Sri Lanka’s 644 for seven declared.

Younis was unbeaten on 306 at stumps on day four and only Hanif Mohammad (337 in 1958) and Inzamam ul Haq (329 in 2002 ) have scored more runs than him in an innings. The two former Pakistani greats had achieved the milestone playing under Abdul Hafeez Kardar and Waqar Younis and hence Younis became the first Pakistani captain to score a triple hundred.

Pakistan had been denied of the opportunity to witness any Test cricket for the last 16 months as foreign teams have refused touring the country due to security and political reasons, but when Test cricket eventually returned to the country, Younis made sure he would give something memorable to the Pakistani public.

In an exhibition of amazing stamina and character, Younis batted for over 12 hours. He took a bold decision to come down to bat without sending a night watchman with just nine balls left to close of play when Pakistan lost it’s first wicket on day two and carried his bat through for two full days in a wonderful display of batsmanship that lightened up in otherwise what had been a dull Test Match.

Younis doesn’t possess the elegance of Brian Lara or the ability of Sachin Tendulkar, but he has certainly been effective for Pakistan and has become the mainstay of their batting line up since the retirement of Inzamam and the exodus of Mohammad Yousuf.

When he resumed with his overnight score of 149, Pakistan needed exactly 149 runs to avoid follow on and he carried on purposefully. Younis reached his 150 in the second over of the morning off Dilhara Fernando and on 198 survived a confident leg before wicket appeal off the same bowler, but reached the double hundred the very next ball by putting away a full toss on the off-side.

He had batted sedately but soon after reaching the double hundred cut loose and struck two sixes each off Muralitharan and the part-time spin of Tharanga Paranavithana.

The post tea session was tensed indeed as the spectators eagerly anticipated Younis’ triple hundred and he played down seven deliveries while on 299 and reached the landmark in style by reverse sweeping world’s highest wicket taker for three runs.

This is also only the first instance in Test cricket where a triple century and two double centuries have been scored in the same match and only on one other instance of over 130 years of Test cricket three players have scored double hundreds.

This is also the first instance in the sport where two captains have scored over 200 runs in the same match.

Younis is the 23rd player in the history of the game to score a triple hundred and the sixth captain to do so after Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene, Mark Taylor, Graham Gooch and Bob Simpson.

His unbeaten 306 is also the highest individual effort in an innings against Sri Lanka improving on Martin Crowe’s 299 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington in 1991.

Younis, who had survived a leg before shout on 23 also survived two other close leg before appeals off Fernando on 198 and 203 and had a tough catch put down by Tillekeratne Dilshan when on 92, but other than that, it was a fine effort by the 31-year-old, who had scored a hundred on his debut also against the Sri Lankans in 2000.

Only two wickets fell on day four as Fernando trapped Misbah ul Haq leg before wicket for 42 after he had added 130 runs for the fourth wicket with Younis and the Sri Lankans toiled without taking a wicket in the afternoon session as Faisal Iqbal added 174 runs for the fifth wicket with his captain.

Mahela Jayawardene introduced Kumar Sangakkara’s medium pace as the seventh bowler of the innings after the third new ball failed to fetch a wicket and then brought himself on later and had immediate success when he bowled a slow off-cutter and Faisal trying to pull the delivery was too early on the shot and was ruled leg before wicket for 57.

But by then the pair had avoided the follow on and after Faisal departed, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal added an unbroken 43 run stand with Younis and the prospects of the World Record falling looms large in Karachi.

Earlier the Sri Lankans had posted the highest total at Karachi when they declared on 644 and Pakistan’s 574 for five remains the third highest total here and they are very much expected to overtake India’s 599 for seven declared, the second highest total at this ground.

Sri Lanka 1st innings: 644-7 (d)

(Overnight: 296 for three)

K. Manzoor c P. J’wardene b Mendis 27

S. Butt c M. J’wardene b Muralitharan 23

Y. Khan not out 306

S. Malik run out 56

Misbah-ul-Haq lbw b Fernando 42

F. Iqbal lbw b M. Jayawardene 57

K. Akmal not out 27

Extras: (4b, 11lb, 5w, 16nb) 36

Overs: 202

Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-78, 3-227, 4-357, 5-531.

Still to bat: Y. Arafat, U. Gul, D. Kaneria, S. Khan.

Bowling: Vaas 32-9-56-0 (6nb), Fernando 34-2-107-1 (7nb, 1w), Mendis 55-13-135-1 (3nb, 4w), Muralitharan 60-12-165-1, Dilshan 9-2-42-0, Paranavitana 5-0-33-0, Sangakkara 4-0-15-0, M. Jayawardene 3-0-6-1.

Toss: Won by Sri Lanka.

Umpires: S. Taufel, (Aus), S. Davis, (Aus).

TV Umpire: Z. Haider, (Pak).