"18 of my 22 Tests have been on flat pitches in Asia yet people still criticise me" : Junaid Khan

[MenInG]

Left-arm pace bowler Junaid Khan was a regular member of the national squad until June 2015, but since then has faced an uphill struggle to re-establish himself, mostly due to injuries and what many describe as questionable selection policies. Since 2011 when he made his debut in all three formats, the 30-year-old has played 22 Test matches, 76 ODIs and also represented Pakistan in nine T20Is.

In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Junaid spoke about his views on the health safety aspects of the players involved in Pakistan's proposed tour of England, why it's wrong to rush young fast-bowlers to the Pakistan Test side, the retirements of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz from Test cricket, how bowlers' performances could be affected by ICC restrictions on the use of saliva and his plans for the future should he fail to make a comeback for Pakistan.

PakPassion.net: How have you kept yourself fit during this break from cricket brought on by the Coronavirus Pandemic?

Junaid Khan: Of course, the effect of the Coronavirus Pandemic has been felt around the world but the lockdown has not affected me so much as I am fortunate enough to have a gym at home. Since I live in a village and the traffic is minimal, I have been able to run on nearby roads and keep myself fit. I also have the added advantage of having my own academy in the village where I’ve been going to do some bowling practice which has helped me stay focussed and in shape.


PakPassion.net: Do you have any concerns about the safety of the players during the proposed tours of England by the West Indies and Pakistan?

Junaid Khan: People want cricket to happen again as everyone is feeling depressed due to the lack of international sport so I am sure that tours like these will be a welcome relief for many. However, as the likes of Rahul Dravid have suggested, arranging matches in even a bio-secure environment may not be that easy. For example, let’s say West Indies squad travel and train together and during a Test match, one of those players is tested positive for Covid-19, then what would be the result of that? The player may have shared the dressing room with his team-mates so all of them would be in danger of being infected, so what happens then to the match and to the tour? These are the points that need to be taken into account and it's not simply a case of keeping the team isolated. If it was an issue of something like security, then it could be easily resolved but this is a totally different challenge and needs careful thought.


PakPassion.net: Do you feel that Pakistani players will be concerned about travelling to England for the upcoming tour?

Junaid Khan: This will not be a problem for our players. This is because our people are used to hardship and tough challenges so we will manage fine. If you look at our recent history, we have been playing domestic cricket even during times when the security situation wasn’t good in Pakistan, so we have been toughened up to face any challenge. In contrast, players from places like Australia and New Zealand are more than likely to think many times about their well-being before making a trip to England during these times.


PakPassion.net: Do you feel that the Pakistani selectors are fast-tracking youngsters to the national team too soon?

Junaid Khan: There is a huge difference between exposing an untried young bowler to a T20I compared to a Test match. The reason is that in a T20 game, bowlers are expected to be hit about so if they do go for runs, the mental impact isn’t that great. However, in a Test match, the situation is different for a young bowler and he will struggle if he doesn’t have enough First-Class experience under his belt. If we take the example of Musa Khan who debuted for Pakistan in Australia, he had hardly played any domestic games and his performance on that tour wasn’t that great, so that could affect him going forward and damage his confidence.

On top of that, a young bowler also needs guidance when he is new. If I look back at my own career, I was initially part of an experienced squad which had the likes of Umar Gul and Mohammad Sami and these bowlers were able to guide and help me when and if I was making any mistakes. In contrast, today’s Pakistan Test side, we struggle to find bowlers who have played even 30 Tests so who can a young bowler bank upon for advice? Mohammad Abbas is the senior-most bowler in the Pakistan Test side and he has just 18 matches to his name which shows the extent of the problem we are facing today.


PakPassion.net: What are your views on the retirements from Test cricket of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz?

Junaid Khan: Every player knows in his own mind about how much ability he has to play in a specific format of the game and whether he is capable of performing in that type of cricket. In Amir and Wahab’s case only they know if their bodies are up to the task of playing Tests, or not. Many of us may well think that Amir took that decision to earn more money, but the fact is that only the Almighty and the player knows what he is best capable of. Amir’s performances in Tests seemed to be in decline recently so it’s possible he listened to his body and decided to give up Tests for good, so he could do better in other formats.


PakPassion.net: Shouldn’t the selectors have opted for an experienced option like you in the Pakistan side after the retirements of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz from Tests?

Junaid Khan: I am unable to understand why the selectors will not pick experienced players like myself when that is the need of the hour. I am not claiming that I destroyed batting line-ups or took many 5fers during the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, but my bowling was good. Several players during the last domestic season praised me about the quality of my bowling. I have to admit that this has been a disheartening situation, as has been the case on many occasions during my international career, where others have been given preference, despite my experience and performances.


PakPassion.net: What are your impressions of Naseem Shah?

Junaid Khan: Naseem Shah is a wonderful bowler who is blessed with the ability to bowl with good pace. I have spoken to him in detail on many occasions and I have found him to be mentally strong and someone who understands how to bowl to different batsmen. However, I do feel that it's too early to judge Naseem at the moment, as he is still new on the international scene and learning his trade. The same applies to Shaheen Shah Afridi who has outstanding talent. But we know that Shaheen like Naseem hasn’t spent a lot of time in international cricket and needs more time to prove himself. In the past, we have had Hassan Ali who performed well for a short period of time and is now nowhere to be seen. A good bowler is one that performs consistently for 3-4 years and only then can we judge their utility and quality. Unfortunately, this happens a lot in Pakistan where almost every year some new bowlers appear and then disappear soon afterwards. Recently we’ve had Mohammad Hasnain who was brought into the Pakistan side due to his extreme pace, but he has gradually declined as has the form of Mohammad Musa which further proves my point.


PakPassion.net: Can you explain the reason for the rapid decline of Pakistani fast-bowlers in recent times?

Junaid Khan: There are a few reasons for the issues we have with the newer bowlers and foremost is their lack of experience to help them get through the initial phases of their career. This happens because the moment a youngster shows any promise, the selectors push away experienced bowlers in the false hope that they have found new stars. Understandably, youngsters become overconfident and start believing that they know whatever is needed to succeed and stop learning which is the beginning of the end for them. The other issue with the promotion of youngsters to the national side too quickly is that they seem to be fine when they are performing well and taking wickets, but the problems come when they are out of form. Without the experience of First-class cricket to bank upon which they could have drawn upon to lift themselves in tough times, they feel lost and that leads to their demise. We have youngsters in the Pakistan side who haven’t even played 50 First-class games and it’s understandable that such players fall by the wayside when confronted with a loss of form.


PakPassion.net: How will the new ICC ruling that forbids the use of saliva to shine the ball effect bowlers?

Junaid Khan: Whilst I have read reports that not using saliva will have little or no effect on how well the bowler can perform with the ball, I do not agree with this assessment. This is because in Asian conditions, after 6 or 7 overs, the condition of the ball deteriorates so quickly that one cannot tell which is the shiny side of the ball so extra effort is needed to maintain the shine. With spinners bowling in tandem with the fast bowlers, it's important to shine the ball constantly as the ball quickly loses its shine due to the way the spinners hold the ball in their palms, especially in Asian conditions. I do not see how without the application of saliva a bowler can perform well or get the ball to swing. This is definitely the case when bowlers like me want to reverse swing the ball in the later overs and not being able to shine one side will be a huge blow for pace-bowlers.


PakPassion.net: Do you feel aggrieved at your treatment by the national selectors?

Junaid Khan: I have played 22 Test matches and 18 of those were in Asia mostly on very flat pitches in Sri Lanka, UAE and Bangladesh, taking 5 wickets in an innings five times, yet people still criticise me. Of the recent pace-bowlers to represent Pakistan excluding Mohammad Abbas, I had one of the lowest strike-rates and averages as well. On top of that, people tell me that I haven’t done so well past 2015 but then why not look at the fact that I played one game in the Asia Cup and picked 4 wickets in it against Bangladesh. Or how I was just given 2 matches on the 2017 tour of the West Indies, or why they just gave me 3 matches to play in the Champions Trophy 2017 even though I got a 5fer in a side game. So, I hardly got any matches after 2015/16 when I used to be a regular member of the side, and obviously it was tough to put in good performances without consistent chances. This isn’t just about me, it's a wider problem. If you give a bowler enough chances and he is not able to perform then he will be the first one to admit failure. But if you give sporadic chances to a bowler, one match here or one match there, then he forgets his basics and gets desperate for wickets and loses his rhythm and consistency in the process.


PakPassion.net: Do you feel that the door is still open for your return to international cricket?

Junaid Khan: I would hope that is the case. I may have been disheartened by the current situation but not to the extent that I have stopped putting in the hard yards. In fact, I’m training harder than ever, to keep myself in contention and fit, so that I can compete with younger players for any spot in the national side, in any format.


PakPassion.net: The presence of Waqar Younis as Pakistan bowling coach must be an encouraging sign for you?

Junaid Khan: Yes, Waqar Younis knows my skills very well but If we look at many of the matches we won during Misbah-ul-Haq’s captaincy, it should be clear to him that I had a key role in those victories amongst the fast-bowlers. If we just go by personal relationships, then one would expect Waqar and Misbah who is the Head Coach-Chief Selector, to back me as well. However, it all depends on how well I perform in domestic cricket and how well both Waqar and Misbah support me. I suppose they will be happy to support me if I perform well and will probably not even consider me if I don’t come up to their standards.


PakPassion.net: There have been continuing rumours that you might settle down and play cricket in England?

Junaid Khan: I had some offers back in 2015 to go and play cricket in England on a permanent basis and even met selectors for some teams as well. However, I declined those offers at that point. But, in 2019 when I was discarded from the Pakistan World Cup squad, I was advised by friends to formally apply for residency in England. Whilst I have acquired the necessary paperwork for settling in England, the fact is my focus is still towards making a comeback for Pakistan.

My target is not simply to sign for an English County side and continue my life there, instead, my aim is to make a comeback for my national team. I feel that I have about 4-5 years of cricket left in me and God Forbid, if I am not able to make a comeback in the Pakistan side, then I might look for a career in politics as my family is involved in this line of work. In the last election, my father was offered a seat in the National Assembly but he declined. I would like to pursue a career in politics if I am unable to get into the national side and my interest in politics is to try and do something good for sports in the country.

[Savak]

Waqar Younis and Moin Khan developed a strong disliking for him in the middle of 2014 onwards and his career never recovered since

[Mamoon]

Your fitness is poor, you can barely touch 140 clicks anymore, you cannot swing the ball an inch and you are a terrible batsman and a below average fielder.

There is no reason for PCB to persist with a 30 year old has-been like you ahead of the several younger bowlers with greater potential.

He is just another deluded and entitled Pakistani player who will blame others but not look at his own shortcomings,

Junaid has played 100+ matches for Pakistan and has had ample opportunities to prove himself. He simply did not prove himself to be good enough to be part of the team in the long-term. Just a poor man’s Umar Gul at best.

[KhanNn]

Your fitness is poor, you can barely touch 140 clicks anymore, you cannot swing the ball an inch and you are a terrible batsman and a below average fielder.

There is no reason for PCB to persist with a 30 year old has-been like you ahead of the several younger bowlers with greater potential.

He is just another deluded and entitled Pakistani player who will blame others but not look at his own shortcomings,

Junaid has played 100+ matches for Pakistan and has had ample opportunities to prove himself. He simply did not prove himself to be good enough to be part of the team in the long-term. Just a poor man’s Umar Gul at best.

Very true. Should have asked him why his pace dropped dramatically. From 90+ mph to mid 80s...if not lower..

[GreenKhan]

He is an honest trier and has a good record . He has had injuries and his pace did drop however I do feel he has not been treated properly by the selectors . He performed great in CT17 then barely got a game . Was picked for England tour before World Cup and bowled just as well as the others on flat pitches and then got dropped . People are way to critical of him .

[TeymurBlake]

The first injury he sustained really hurt his career. He broke through in 2011 and he was exactly what we were looking for specially with Amir's ban. But the over reliance on him to deliver with Ajmal really hurt him.

[Markhor]

Don't like his attitude. He was rightly dropped for the 2019 World Cup after some seriously ordinary bowling in the England series.

[Junaids]

I have major issues with him, but he should have toured Australia ahead of Imran Khan and Musa Khan.

[topspin]

A mediocre player who enjoyed a brief purple patch when he was an unknown presence in the game.

[WhenSultansBowled]

I am unable to understand why the selectors will not pick experienced players like myself when that is the need of the hour.

Because PCB have better bowlers than you JK. Also, you are averaging 31+ after so many years...

This is coming from a fan. Time for Pakistan cricket to move on and invest in better players.

Thanks for your service, those excellent yorkers against South Africa and those epic phaintas to Indian top order. A key player in victories in SA/India and of course Champions Trophy!

[ahmadharis1]

Underrated bowler. Very well deserved a shot especially after Amir/Riaz's retirements

[Saj]

I'd rather have had him in the squad than Musa Khan in Australia.

Imran Khan or Junaid Khan? The latter for me, any day of the week.

[Salman4.]

Used to be a great bowler in 2012-14 but lost his pace and swing/seam. Reacted like a kid after being dropped. Thinks as if he's the second coming of Wasim. Still remember how he could not perform extraordinarily against Zimbabwe where a skill-less bowler like Faheem was creating havoc.

[Salman4.]

PakPassion.net: Shouldn’t the selectors have opted for an experienced option like you in the Pakistan side after the retirements of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz from Tests?

Junaid Khan: I am unable to understand why the selectors will not pick experienced players like myself when that is the need of the hour. I am not claiming that I destroyed batting line-ups or took many 5fers during the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, but my bowling was good. Several players during the last domestic season praised me about the quality of my bowling. I have to admit that this has been a disheartening situation, as has been the case on many occasions during my international career, where others have been given preference, despite my experience and performances.

8 matches, 16 wickets, 43 avg, 3.8 economy.
Excellent performances. Shaheen, Naseem, Abbasm who? This guy should be our lead in test cricket
On a serious note, I'd rather have Ehsan Adil over him, tall, right-handed, decent batsman, swings the ball and also recently took a 6-fer for Pakistani Shaheens.

[Prince of Pakistan]

One of those who looked like an upcoming legend between 2012-2015 but then perished quickly. I remember how he was the best ODI bowler of the year in one of those years. What a fall from grace.

Things started to go wrong for him once he had that injury and lost pace afterwards. From that moment on he was never the same. He showed some hope in the CT 2017 campaign, but then never got the confidence from Mickey Arthur, Junaid had his line and length but Mickey was crazy about pace.

With the emergence of Shaheen Shah, Naseem Shah and probably Haris Rauf in ODI/T20 his chances seem slim. He could get in the test side, but will need some stellar performances in Pak domestic for that to happen. It's his only hope.

Also noticeable how Imran Khan has influenced every other cricketer into joining politics. First Afridi getting involved and now JK considering the same route.

[chacha kashmiri]

Similar story with babar azam
Yasir shah is getting picked but junaid khan has been ignored due to constant injuries and bad form

[Saj]

He fell out with Mickey Arthur in the lead up to the World Cup after some below-par performances resulting in Mohammad Hasnain being picked for a free holiday.

[Mo Dipsy]

Lots of negative comments in this thread. Yes, he lost form after 2015 but lets take the time to appreciate his services to Pakistan between 2012-2015, especially in tests when he bowled his heart out on lifeless wickets and took 5 5-fers. After we lost Amir, he stepped in admirably to fill the void between 2012-2015.

[waleed88]

Unfortunately for Junaid looks like the ship has sailed for quite a while now. Down the pecking order, not even played in PSL, and his last performances against England were shoddy at best, opening the door for Wahab Riaz to come back to the ODI squad after a while. What I've seen of how Junaid Khan is as a person, he is a quiet individual and he doesn't seem to have the camradarie as some of the other players have, he doesn't really get along with everyone. For a Front line bowler that is a little 'uncommon'. He also seems to be someone who is reluctant to work on himself if criticized and that has seemed to be his downfall. The tape on his face after being axed from the world cup squad was the last ditch, but his career had been coming to an end for a while. CT 2017 was his last swansong.

[Bigboii]

He is surprisingly a very good analyst his responses seemed so well thought out (they weren't like most interviews where every answer seems so obvious) like a veteran investment banker explaining market to a college grad definitely for me it was a top class interview on PP and I have going through the website for a decade atleast but this struck me in a good way

Maybe a cricket pundit job is perfect for him just very impressed with him and the interview of course

[ask_analyse_act]

I have major issues with him, but he should have toured Australia ahead of Imran Khan and Musa Khan.

Yes him ,Shinwari and Rahat ali should have been preferred instead a young rookie like Musa Khan and and oldie like Imran Khan..

Don't like his attitude. He was rightly dropped for the 2019 World Cup after some seriously ordinary bowling in the England series.

It was high scoring series, where all bowlers got smashed all round the park... Him or UKS should have been taken instead of the water boy hasnain...It is like a trend that i have seen this with Pak selectors from time to time that they will take a bowler to the CWC from nowhere In 2011 it was Junaid khan himself, In 2015 it was Sohail khan from nowhere, In 2019 Hasnain from nowhere.. In 2019 India wanted to scratch the surface of this trend like pakistan and got Vijay Shankar in instead of Rayudu and rest his history...

He is an honest trier and has a good record . He has had injuries and his pace did drop however I do feel he has not been treated properly by the selectors . He performed great in CT17 then barely got a game . Was picked for England tour before World Cup and bowled just as well as the others on flat pitches and then got dropped . People are way to critical of him .

Yes this is a problem with Pak selectors all of a sudden players who played really well gets dropped as fast as possible while non or low performers be it senior or junior will be retained... He was very good and effective with the old ball in that tournament and it was one of the success mantra in that series where him and Amir take wickets in tandem when they bowl overs from 35 - 40 which was set back for opponents where set batsman get dismissed and exposes tail to bat last 10 overs and that is how pak were able to restrict all oppositions under 250 even England who was mighty strong with the bat that time..

Underrated bowler. Very well deserved a shot especially after Amir/Riaz's retirements

Yes him and Rahat were better compared to Imran khan and deserved chances...

I'd rather have had him in the squad than Musa Khan in Australia.

Imran Khan or Junaid Khan? The latter for me, any day of the week.

100% agree.. They had junaid , shinwari and rahat to choose from but they plucked out Imran Khan from nowhere...

[Saj]

He is surprisingly a very good analyst his responses seemed so well thought out (they weren't like most interviews where every answer seems so obvious) like a veteran investment banker explaining market to a college grad definitely for me it was a top class interview on PP and I have going through the website for a decade atleast but this struck me in a good way

Maybe a cricket pundit job is perfect for him just very impressed with him and the interview of course

He speaks well, openly and wasn't ranting.

I think what also helped is that he has known me for a long time and knows we will write what he said and not make up stuff.

[sindhiboy]

dont know why he is hated on pp just because of low pace. he has done a good job in 18 tests in asia and was very useful in odis.

yes, he is done now, but he had immense potential. amir was picked in world cup squad after taking less than a third of a wicket per game, a record of a part timer. and was rested for the run fest series that took place before the world cup and junaid was the scapegoat

[Slog]

He is surprisingly a very good analyst his responses seemed so well thought out (they weren't like most interviews where every answer seems so obvious) like a veteran investment banker explaining market to a college grad definitely for me it was a top class interview on PP and I have going through the website for a decade atleast but this struck me in a good way

Maybe a cricket pundit job is perfect for him just very impressed with him and the interview of course

I agree. While he does seem to be making excuses for his performances his responses on other matters seem well thought out rather just generic lines

[sweep_shot]

Junaid has a good point. He mostly played in Asia and pitches didn't suit his bowling.

[Shazzam]

Deserves another go he is only 30.

[Hasan123]

Had a decent spell in 2012/2013. Other than that he was average.

[Thunderbolt14]

Deserves another go he is only 30.

That’s the age a fast bowler starts declining. Should have been given an extended run before. Great shame. But now, it’s too late. Cut the losses and invest in a young squad.

[Arsal_AK]

His time is up unfortunately. Used to be really good in 2012-2015 period. Some amazingly performances and at times single handedly carried out attack.

Was really hard done by the management post that period, after coming back from an injury I think. But to be fair he didn't help his case either, his pace dropped and just wasn't as potent anymore.

Still great bowler in those 4 years.

[Arsal_AK]

He doesn't make the team over Naseem and Shaheen, no one does. Abbas is there as the third seamer for a year and then you have guys like Hasnain coming through.

Same goes for Hassan Ali unless he regains his form from a couple years back. Maybe as reserves if.one of the premier bowlers get injured but that's that.

Having said that, there is no way the likes of Imran Khan should be playing over Junaid.

[Saj]

Looking at the pace-bowlers picked for the tour of England:

Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab, Islamabad United), Haris Rauf (Northern, Lahore Qalandars), Imran Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh, Quetta Gladiators), Naseem Shah (Central Punjab, Quetta Gladiators), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Northern, Lahore Qalandars), Sohail Khan (Sindh, Quetta Gladiators), Usman Shinwari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lahore Qalandars) and Wahab Riaz (Southern Punjab, Peshawar Zalmi)

Some would argue that Junaid could be picked ahead of Imran Khan, perhaps Faheem Ashraf, maybe even Usman Shinwari?

[Cric1234]

His average in Tests and ODIs is still better than Wahab Riaz who averages almost 35 in Tests and ODIs surely on merit he should’ve been selected ahead of him.

[ManFan]

Like him or not, he certainly has solid arguments.

Some may call his black-tape incident childish but I for one call it extremely brave.

It’s obvious he was and is being excluded because he’s not as good a yes-man as others in his place.

[ask_analyse_act]

Looking at the pace-bowlers picked for the tour of England:

Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab, Islamabad United), Haris Rauf (Northern, Lahore Qalandars), Imran Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh, Quetta Gladiators), Naseem Shah (Central Punjab, Quetta Gladiators), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Northern, Lahore Qalandars), Sohail Khan (Sindh, Quetta Gladiators), Usman Shinwari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lahore Qalandars) and Wahab Riaz (Southern Punjab, Peshawar Zalmi)

Some would argue that Junaid could be picked ahead of Imran Khan, perhaps Faheem Ashraf, maybe even Usman Shinwari?

u missed the elephant in the room... Mr. Sohail Khan...

[Saj]

u missed the elephant in the room... Mr. Sohail Khan...

Yes, very true.

[ahmadharis1]

Looking at the pace-bowlers picked for the tour of England:

Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab, Islamabad United), Haris Rauf (Northern, Lahore Qalandars), Imran Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh, Quetta Gladiators), Naseem Shah (Central Punjab, Quetta Gladiators), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Northern, Lahore Qalandars), Sohail Khan (Sindh, Quetta Gladiators), Usman Shinwari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lahore Qalandars) and Wahab Riaz (Southern Punjab, Peshawar Zalmi)

Some would argue that Junaid could be picked ahead of Imran Khan, perhaps Faheem Ashraf, maybe even Usman Shinwari?

Faheem Ashraf
Imran Khan
Mohammad Hasnain
Sohail Khan
Usman Shinwari

I'd easily take Junaid Khan over all those guys, any format

[Deewana Mastana]

Would have picked Junaid Khan for this England tour over Sohail Khan or Imran Khan for sure.

[Thunderbolt14]

Faheem Ashraf
Imran Khan
Mohammad Hasnain
Sohail Khan
Usman Shinwari

I'd easily take Junaid Khan over all those guys, any format

Agreed about Imran Khan and Sohail Khan but I think the other 3 would be better picks than Junaid purely because they’re younger and can develop more.

[ahmadharis1]

Agreed about Imran Khan and Sohail Khan but I think the other 3 would be better picks than Junaid purely because they’re younger and can develop more.

Agreed on that end. For the future I'd develop the youngsters.

However, if there was a must-win match tomorrow, I'd rather have Junaid Khan

[MenInG]

Junaid Khan, Fawad Alam, Imad Wasim and Ahmed Shehzad pictured on the Pakistan Academy tour of Kenya in 2008 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/ZsbpeirTDK

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) June 28, 2020

[Saj]

I still feel he could have been a better pick than a few of the other bowlers who have been selected for the tour of England.

[shaz619]

I still feel he could have been a better pick than a few of the other bowlers who have been selected for the tour of England.

You have a point but I feel as though his pathetic attitude and god / stereotypical pathan complex has something to do with it, think about it, they have have picked a number of bums in the team; it wouldn't hurt to consider another right ? also, Misbah and Waqar of all people ought to have a bias in his favour naturally....but that's not the case here, clearly he just doesn't get along with management whoever he is playing under and when you combine that with his poor attitude it is not difficult to see why he doesn't get picked and also declined so much

[shamaan]

I still feel he could have been a better pick than a few of the other bowlers who have been selected for the tour of England.

Agreed

[Nikhil_cric]

His real age and injuries caught up with him. Pakistan don't need him anymore in tests. I always felt ODI's were Juny's best format. But after that thrashing at the hands of England and with youngsters banging on the door of selectors, I just don't see how he is going to make it back

[Saj]

Junaid is in talks with a Caribbean Premier League franchise. If an agreement is reached he will play in this year's CPL tournament.

[Abdullah719]

3/26 today in the National T20 Cup, flattering figures though IMO.

[Titan24]

Got wickets but far from his best self, which has been the case post CT 17.

[MenInG]

Good to see Junaid Khan playing in an important game - a good performance tonight can do wonders for him

[MenInG]

Gets the important wicket of Tamim - good bowling.

[Hasan123]

Wonder who he will blame for this performance. This trash bowler has no business playing in the PSL.

[Manzy2599]

Geez I don’t know why junaid is getting so much hate on here. Yes he doesn’t make the LOIs team but he can be useful in tests where Pakistan are seriously lacking experience. He could’ve done better in aus and eng than the young guns pak took who had barely played a first class game. Atleast an attack with Yasir, Abbas, Shaheen, Junaid and IK would have done okay compared to throwing naseem, musa and hasnain all in the deep end. Still don’t understand the Pakistani selection criteria. These bowlers are getting picked consistently whereas the more deserving are always ignored. Look at Tabish Khan’s first class record and now he’s 35. Don’t think I’ve ever seen better first class stats than that or even Sadaf Hussain who has over 400 wickets averaging 19 on Pakistani pitches. Probably because Tabish is from Karachi and Sadaf is Shia and not part of the PCB (punjab cricket board). Absolutely ridiculous cricket board and selections. God help them

[BunnyRabbit]

Yet his bowling average is almost similar to Amir who has mainly played outside of Asia.

He has been treated like trash throughout.
Ends up as the second highest wicket taker in CT17, gets dropped after the next series. Gets picked after almost a year only to benched for almost the whole Asia Cup, gets one game and takes a 4 fer.
Should have been picked ahead of Hasnain in WC19.
Waqar and Misbah don't rate him one bit yet give guys without any FC experience of more than 10 games Test matches like gifts.

He needs to keep working hard on his fitness though.

[shamaan]

Yet his bowling average is almost similar to Amir who has mainly played outside of Asia.

He has been treated like trash throughout.
Ends up as the second highest wicket taker in CT17, gets dropped after the next series. Gets picked after almost a year only to benched for almost the whole Asia Cup, gets one game and takes a 4 fer.
Should have been picked ahead of Hasnain in WC19.
Waqar and Misbah don't rate him one bit yet give guys without any FC experience of more than 10 games Test matches like gifts.

He needs to keep working hard on his fitness though.

Exactly he should have been given way more oportunities but his time has gone unfortunately most of wickets were inside of asia

[Salman4.]

Treated harshly before? Yes.
But he doesn't warrant a place in the current setup. Even Musa is a better option right now.

[BunnyRabbit]

Treated harshly before? Yes.
But he doesn't warrant a place in the current setup. Even Musa is a better option right now.

No Musa is definitely not a better option than him. Musa needs to play a lot of domestic cricket to get better before he gets another chance in the internationals.

[shamaan]

No Musa is definitely not a better option than him. Musa needs to play a lot of domestic cricket to get better before he gets another chance in the internationals.

I rather invest in younger talent now back IF they have the skills and talent

[BunnyRabbit]

I rather invest in younger talent now back IF they have the skills and talent

International cricket isn't the place to invest in a player. Musa needs to go to domestic and bowl a lot to get better.

[shamaan]

International cricket isn't the place to invest in a player. Musa needs to go to domestic and bowl a lot to get better.

Shaheen only played a couple doesmtic games before he was brought into the set up same with Abdullah they invested in shaheen and now hes pakistan main bowler

[sshakir411]

There was a time Pakistan didn’t miss Amir after his ban because of Junaid. He just could not recover after that horrible knee injury pre WC15

[waleed88]

Unfortunatel the sun has set on this guy and his prime. Definitely became more easy for the batsmen to get away as his career went on. His swansong was his performance in the champions trophy 2017. Since then he became worse at a speed of knots. I think he lost the plot right before 2019 world cup and was discarded almost completely. Hardly ever plays for Multan sultans as well.

[BunnyRabbit]

Shaheen only played a couple doesmtic games before he was brought into the set up same with Abdullah they invested in shaheen and now hes pakistan main bowler

There is a gulf between Shaheen's performance in the limited FC matches he played and that of Musa's. Shaheen took an 8fer in his debut match if i am not wrong. He was obviously someone to throw in at the earliest. Musa has been ordinary till now and needs to be playing FC to improve himself to be considered one of the top talents/performers in the country none of which he has shown to be.

[BunnyRabbit]

Unfortunatel the sun has set on this guy and his prime. Definitely became more easy for the batsmen to get away as his career went on. His swansong was his performance in the champions trophy 2017. Since then he became worse at a speed of knots. I think he lost the plot right before 2019 world cup and was discarded almost completely. Hardly ever plays for Multan sultans as well.

Everyone was carted around like net bowlers in that pre WC series in England Shaheen, Hasan, Hasnain and Junaid. That should hardly have been the barometer of judging the bowlers. He never got backing from the management even after his CT performance and the sole ODI he played in Asia Cup where he took a 4 fer. Mickey didn't rate him, it was only Inzi who pushed for his selection. Now Waqar doesn't rate him and he is the bowling coach.
It's good to see that Multan's management has shown faith in him in their 3 seasons and have opted to retain him, quite possibly he would be working behind the scenes.
Would still take him over Sohail Khan, Imran Khan or Rahat Ali if either of them is to be picked still.

[tyron_woodley]

how is this guy dropped so quickly. something is very fishy.

[shamaan]

There is a gulf between Shaheen's performance in the limited FC matches he played and that of Musa's. Shaheen took an 8fer in his debut match if i am not wrong. He was obviously someone to throw in at the earliest. Musa has been ordinary till now and needs to be playing FC to improve himself to be considered one of the top talents/performers in the country none of which he has shown to be.

Of course shaheen is a rare talent but you not going to make every decision right he does need to go back to domestic and build overs and gain experience waqar is backing him to come good

[MenInG]

Happy Birthday to Junaid - 31 years old today

[JibranAnsari]

happy birthday Junaid khan.

The man who never complained about workload despite bowling in deserts under scorching sun for years.

[UzmanBeast]

Happy Birthday to Junaid Khan, but it's a story of talent being wasted.

In my eyes, we fast-tracked Amir into the team when his ban was lifted and it led to us dropping Junaid Khan, which was a very big mistake.

Had we persisted with him, he might have been able to aid our fast-bowling depth and who knows what he could have achieved instead of Wahab Riaz, a player who has undoubtedly not answered his true potential.

[Saj]

Never picked and choosed formats or series.

Always available for Pakistan....unlike others.

[GudduBadmash]

Bowled to death and exhaustion on the roads of UAE, causing an injury then career finished to accommodate Mohammad Amir who showed his true colours once again.

[Pacy with wisdom]

Was never good enough barring a 2 year period where he got away with an elbow kink.

Post 2015, he has lacked any kind of penetration, and has been reduced to a gun barrel straight trundler of the highest order; so much so that he hasnt been a starter for his PSL teams.
Therefore, this misfounded romanticism with him should stop.

[Greenstorm]

He never possessed skills that are normally attributed to Pakistani fast bowlers (pace, rhythmic natural action) but still he was deadly accurate and used to get seem movement on almost every surface. He dominated many great batsmen and his aggressive attitude while bowling was reminiscent of great Pakistani bowlers of yesteryear.

Mickey made a mistake by dropping him from WC 2019. We would have been in semifinals had Junaid been there.

[Saj]

Give me an honest trier who gives 100% effort all of the time, ahead of some who pick and choose when they want to play and which formats they want to play.

Interestingly Mohammad Amir only has a slightly better Test average despite playing 7 of his 36 Tests in Asia.

[YousafTheBeast]

Genuinely think he would’ve made a difference on this tour. Bring him back for the SA series.

[Ayubhbaloch]

Any Views About Junaid Khan for Test Format?

[guldozer]

He hasn't played many QEA games. He's not match fit.

[YousafTheBeast]

Yes, bring him back on the flattest pitches on earth then drop him after the series.

[sindhiboy]

His career is done and dusted

[Hasan123]

No thank you.

[TeymurBlake]

Junaid Khan is done. The CT'17 was his final hurrah for Pakistan.

[angrypathan]

No