Jingoistic Junaid Khan proving a point - Opinion
When one looks back at Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka, a 3-1 score line in the ODI series and a 1-0 defeat in the test series depict a bleak picture for the Men in Green. Pakistan’s bottomless quiver of fast bowlers had been hampered significantly by testing
conditions and a team baying for revenge against them.
One man however, has stood out in terms of performing and it is expected that he would form an integral part of the Pakistani cricket team for many years to come. Junaid Khan, a left arm seamer from Matra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has continued to impress all
schools of thought with his nagging line and length and ability to swing the ball both ways on pitches which offer something for the bowlers.
His performance against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, with a five wicket haul may not be the best way of assessing his potential, but his consistency has raised quite a few eyebrows on what he has to offer.
His delivery stride and deployment of deliveries has a simple method to it. Neither is his action complicated nor is he bound to be injury prone. Yet an aspect that has helped him emerge as a front line bowler is the fact that he hits the corridor of uncertainty
outside the batsman’s off stump on a consistent basis. This was on viewing in Pallekele, where a green pitch helped him get the better out of the Sri Lankan batsmen who kept on poking at his deliveries outside the off stump. Even http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KC-Sangakkara-c1779, was stunned
by a lethal in swinger in the first innings, where http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 were aiming to overhaul Pakistan’s paltry total of 226.
The end result was 5/70 for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Junaid-Khan-c77037 which wasn’t quite his career best of 5/38. The best part about this is that he went at an economy rate of just 2.70, which in the context of the game, was excellent. His fellow seamers were galloping at 4 runs per
over who were far more experienced than him.
These performances are patchy however, and it is fair to say that Junaid Khan needs to be exposed to conditions which provide more assistance to the spinners. Performing at the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Imtiaz-Sheikh-c64290 Zayed International Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi or Pallekele in Sri Lanka
with the new ball is bound to help any young emerging seamer reap rewards. The truth for Pakistan however, is that with Umar Gul blowing hot and cold and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Sami-c77289 being erratic with his line and length, a left armer which could make the ball talk is exactly
what this side needs.
Cricket has always been a team game. It is a sport, where even a mediocre set of players can spring surprises and win games, as is the case with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 was caught amid the quagmire of players being involved
in spot fixing, players like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 were looked up to for inspiration. Such individuals underperforming however, has always hampered Pakistan’s rise as a formidable Test outfit, where the likes of Ajmal and Gul performing well enough to
help Pakistan win eight series in a row before succumbing to Sri Lanka recently. In cases, Junaid Khan’s performances provide a glimpse into Pakistan’s future, where over reliance on a few players has acted to their detriment.
What needs to be seen is how Junaid Khan performs against sides such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319 has a lot to offer that can win Pakistan
many games and become a match winning outfit with the ball.
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