http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Junaid-Khan-c77037 deserved a World T20 spot over Mohmmad Sami – Opinion
Historically, fast bowling has always been the forte of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Amir-c76675 and Mohammad
Asif, two of the finest young speedsters of the modern era.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Aizaz-Cheema-c961, has been extremely inconsistent in international cricket, adding vulnerability
to Pakistan’s bowling attack.
However, the recently concluded tour of Sri Lanka brought a fresh ray of hope for the Men in Green, with the emergence of Junaid http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319, the left-arm fast bowler, who bowled out of his skin in the Test matches, picking up 14 wickets on flat batting tracks,
where seamers from both the sides struggled to deliver the goods.
The youngster made his debut last year but the tour of Sri Lanka can be rated as a breakthrough series for him. The 22-year-old was hailed by one and all during the tour, earning praise from the opposition as well, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DPMD-Jayawardene-c1397
predicting a great future for the youngster.
Like always, Pakistan cricket is never short of surprises or shocks. The selectors stunned the cricket analysts from all across the world, when they announced the 15-man squad for the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 in September/October, leaving
out the budding fast bowler from Matara.
A tried and tested failure like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Sami-c77289 was preferred over Junaid, who is rated by many as the future of Pakistan cricket. The former returned to the national team during the tour of Sri Lanka but failed to perform consistently.
After a poor first T20 of the tour, the fast bowler from Karachi (Sami) did well in the second, picking up three wickets after giving away 16 runs and helped Pakistan level the series. Sami’s performance in the ODIs and the Test series was anything but satisfactory.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Iqbal-Qasim-c76980, the chief selector of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), expressed after the announcement of the team that he wanted the left-arm fast bowler in the squad but the team management was in favour of Sami because of his additional pace.
There can be two schools of thought about Sami’s potential as a match-winner but most former cricketers are of the view that Junaid’s presence in the squad would have strengthened Pakistan’s chances in the upcoming tournament.
"My opinion is the same as that of many others in that I preferred Junaid over Mohammad Sami," said Qasim. "However, the captain and coach preferred the idea of speed that Sami can provide. You may recall from the 2nd T20 game in Sri Lanka that he [Sami]
performed quite well and took some important wickets."
The previous coach of the national team and former opening batsman, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohsin-Hasan-Khan-c77595, has also expressed his disappointment at Junaid’s exclusion and believes that the budding fast bowler deserved to play the illustrious tournament after a brilliant show
in the Island.
The former interim coach expressed, "It's very sad to see Junaid's snub as he was the only fast-bowler who did well in Sri Lanka. He could have been a good addition as we are struggling in the fast-bowling department."
However, Junaid must not lose heart because he has a long career ahead of him, if he is able to maintain the standard of fitness required at the ultimate level of the sport.
Disclaimer: Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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