Junaid has bowled well on his comeback after being on the sidelines for several weeks due to a knee injury. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: As the January 7 deadline comes ever closer, time is running out for the players to make it into the final 15-man World Cup squad, and Junaid Khan has impressed the national selection committee in hopes of being named in the squad during the ongoing Pentangular Cup.
Junaid has bowled well on his comeback after being on the sidelines for several weeks due to a knee injury suffered in the UAE during the ODIs against Australia.
The 25-year-old has picked up seven wickets from three matches in the tournament so far – two each against Sindh Knights and Balochistan Warriors while three were taken against Federal United – while captaining K-P Fighters.
“The selection committee is really pleased by how well Junaid has bowled in the Pentangular Cup so far after overcoming a knee injury,” one of the national selectors told The Express Tribune. “There was never a question mark in context to his ability to perform, but we wanted to see his fitness levels right now and whether he would be able to survive the entire World Cup. By the look of things, he is in good shape and is bowling at a good pace.”
Junaid has represented Pakistan in 18 Tests, claiming 65 wickets, while he has bagged 75 scalps in 48 ODIs; now the selectors see him as a genuine threat in the bowling-friendly conditions of Australia and New Zealand.
The committee is keen to include the trio of left-arm pacers Muhammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz and Junaid, while the chances of Umar Gul playing at the mega event are now minimal after he failed to show his full fitness.
“To be honest, Gul hasn’t made an impression with his fitness and he is a much better bowler than what we’ve seen in this event. It is difficult to select a bowler who isn’t even 100% fit; he is unlikely to make the final cut.”
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COMMENTS (6)
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wahab !!!you kidding me ? he cant even swing the ball its gun barrel straight! like literally every time how can he even threaten a batsman let alone get him out!
all you haters who have never played cricket in their lives and judging wahab on the basis of him leaking runs on dead surfaces in UAE. Wahab consistently clocks in over 145 KMPH even on those dead UAE surfaces..and he can bat down the order too..
Only a sane person would drop him without trying him out on pacy wickets especially when Pakistan's pace attack is solely reliant on Junaid and Irfan alone - sure if he doesnt perform, you can bring the likes of Imran Khan jr. Ehsan Adil Tanvir and even Umar Gul instead of him. but with that pace i bet he will
In my opion SADAF HUSSAIN the man without a PARCHI or SIFARISH should get a chance afterall what he has done wrong he is a consistent performer yet he is being neglected??? I have seen him bowling in YOUTUBE and he is certainly a better bowler than Wahab, Gul, Sohail tanveer...
@ABC: wahab who ??? Bowler??? he is a joke;
Friends, just check this article out
http://pakpassion.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=845
it makes it very clear what the selectors need to do -- so the only question remaining is, can they do it??
Wahab Riaz is not a bowler of even club level