Yorkshire lose Younus Khan to the World Twenty20 in South Africa next month and although the Pakistan batsman's early departure is to be regretted he will still leave his mark as a double record-breaker for the county.

At the Rose Bowl in early May, Younus plundered 106 and 202 not out against Hampshire to become the only Yorkshire batsman ever to score a century and a double century in the same match.

And his 217 not out off Kent's attack in the most recent Championship match at Scarborough earned him the distinction of being the only Yorkshire batsman ever to rap out two unbeaten double centuries in the same season.

Five of Yorkshire's other top batsmen down the years have notched two double centuries in a season but none of them has kept his wicket intact in both matches.

First to double up' was George Hirst in 1905, if you count converting a double century into a triple century. In the match against Leicestershire he amassed Yorkshire's highest ever individual score of 341 - which Darren Lehmann failed by only three runs to overtake last year - and then he took an unbeaten 232 off Surrey. David Denton had 200 not out off Warwickshire and 221 not out off Kent in 1912 and ten years later Percy Holmes, a double centurion on nine occasions, topped the 200 mark against Warwickshire in both the home and away fixtures but was dismissed in one of the matches.

Len Hutton rattled up 201 in a Roses match in 1949 and compiled 269 not out against Northamptonshire in the same summer but only one batsman has three times clocked up two double centuries in a season and that is the incomparable Herbert Sutcliffe.

The Prince of Yorkshire cricket had 235 (v Middlesex) and 206 (v Warwickshire) in 1925, 313 (v Essex) and 270 (v Sussex) in 1932 and 200 not out (v Worcestershire) and 212 (v Leicestershire) in 1935.

Younus certainly has the powers of concentration to build up big innings and he has converted seven of his 27 first class centuries into double centuries.

He is currently Yorkshire's leading run-scorer in the Championship with 772 at a healthy average of 59.38, yet his performances overall in the competition have only been moderate because of inconsistency.

No less than 525 of his runs have come in two matches and three innings which means that in the nine other Champion-ship games he has managed only 247 runs at an average of 19 - and in none of them has he got to the 50 mark.

There is no denying his sheer class, however, and Yorkshire are bound to be the weaker without him in the last two matches against title-holders Sussex at Hove and Hampshire at Headingley Carnegie.

But his absence may not be too keenly felt because England captain Michael Vaughan should be back with Yorkshire once the Test series with India is out of the way.

One of the disadvantages of signing overseas stars is that they can be plucked away at very short notice and often at a time when they are needed most by their counties.

It is a nuisance for Yorkshire that Younus is unable to see out the whole of the season because of the World Twenty20 and even more annoying that they have to let their Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie go back home for a week later this month for a training camp.

Gillespie made representations to the Board to be able to stay with Yorkshire but his pleas fell on deaf ears.