Can Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan form a successful bowling pair for Pakistan across all formats?

[street cricketer]

Every team has a successful bowling pair around which their attack operates. Australia have Starc and Hazlewood, South Africa have Philander and Rabada, India have Ashwin and Jadeja, England have Anderson and Broad, NZ have Southee and Boult, etc.

Pakistan is one team who have always relied on Yasir in test matches while they have generally struggled in LOIs in the bowling department in the past few years.

Can Amir and Junaid form the successful bowling pair that Pakistan lacked in the past?

Can the duo lead the Pakistan attack across all formats?

 

[Xoib]

Yes its possible the only issue is both are very similar bowlers.

Amir despite his stats has actually bowled well in australia especially in first two tests and the odis now.His pace is up in the 140's consistently and he is rediscovering his away swing I think Amir is a sub 28 average bowler in both formats and can reach their in time.Junaid also looks better then what he looked post injury

 

[moghul]

Amir is back to his old rhythm and pace, took some time but he is right there, finally.

 

[Pete Rose]

Amir is so far more suited to the white ball format and it shows in the results. Junaid, we will see: it's just his first game

 

[Cricket World]

They both can develop into potent new ball pair and that would be handy in tests and LOI

 

[cricwiz]

Yes its possible the only issue is both are very similar bowlers.

Amir despite his stats has actually bowled well in australia especially in first two tests and the odis now.His pace is up in the 140's consistently and he is rediscovering his away swing I think Amir is a sub 28 average bowler in both formats and can reach their in time.Junaid also looks better then what he looked post injury

That's an issue if they are unable to trouble batsmen. If both can swing it early and keep it tight, it can only make things hard for the batsmen. Many a teams have also 2 right handed pace bowlers - why is that never a problem? We had Wahab Riaz before (a very different left armer to Amir), but it didn't matter as Wahab is one trick pony and a spray gun.

 

[Speedster777]

Both can form an excellent bowling pair. If we add Muhammad Abbas and Asif with them it would be the most potent attack.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

No, they will not.

 

[MenInG]

No, they will not.

Can you give us a reason instead of making a blanket statement?

 

[Zohaib Shah]

I have been wanting to see Junaid Khan back for this reason.

 

[90MPH]

Of course they can but they need to work hard and keep improving.

I liked Junaids pumped up attitude but he also backed it up with some agrresive bowling.

Sometimes when there is stiff competition you get the best out of your players because they know they have to perform or lose their place - hopefully this happens with these 2.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Can you give us a reason instead of making a blanket statement?

Junaid's an ordinary bowler.

 

[Syed1]

No, they will not.

Yes Junaid should be replaced with a nobody who is yet to play a domestic match.

#PP fantasy

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Yes Junaid should be replaced with a nobody who is yet to play a domestic match.

#PP fantasy

Not only factually incorrect but irrelevant to the topic at hand.

 

[Pakpak]

Yes, I had been looking forward to seeing them bowl together.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Amir is the better Odi bowler.

Junaid needs to show up more often than one game to actually be taken seriously.

However, Amir the test bowler is ordinary.

 

[Markhor]

I know people were going gaga over Junaid's BPL performance (which were impressive) but he averaged over 44 in the QEA Trophy and over 50 in the Departmental One Day Cup. And these are meant to be on seam friendly wickets that predominate in Pakistan.

So Junaid still needs to prove himself but happy to give Junaid the rest of the series.

 

[Zohaib Shah]

Junaid's an ordinary bowler.

If Junaid is ordinary the others are rubbish.

 

[waleed88]

Amir is the better Odi bowler.

Junaid needs to show up more often than one game to actually be taken seriously.

However, Amir the test bowler is ordinary.

Let me guess, Chaminda Vaas or left handed Umar Gul.. which one are you?

 

[waleed88]

How's this for a stat, the guy has been literally run into the ground because of overburden in unforgiving conditions for Fast bowlers..

'From the time he began his international career, right after the 2011 World Cup, to the time he played his last international before the injury, the only Pakistani with more overs, across formats, under his belt was Saeed Ajmal. ' - cricinfo

 

[GrandMaster]

I doubt. Amir is outstanding, he is here to stay. But, Junaid's action is still suspicious, sooner or later he will be called for his bowling action.

 

[Syed1]

Not only factually incorrect but irrelevant to the topic at hand.

Then please suggest who you would want to replace this 'mediocre' bowler with, who now has contributed to more Pakistan wins than Wahab, Rahat and Imran.

 

[Hawkeye]

No, they cannot.

To become a good pair, especially as strike bowlers, you have to possess the skills of strike bowlers.

Junaid is very mediocre and ordinary here. He has zero skill with the new ball and will only waste it. He has no idea how to swing the ball and he never has at will.

Amir is a natural swing bowler with an inswinger, but he's skilled and can also turn it away.

We need a good strike bowler to pair up with Amir. Until then our attack will remain average.

Junaid can be a decent first change bowler, but ONLY if he's able to regain his previous skill. i.e. old ball reverse swing at 140kph and death bowling.

 

[Hawkeye]

I doubt. Amir is outstanding, he is here to stay. But, Junaid's action is still suspicious, sooner or later he will be called for his bowling action.

Correct on Junaid s action. Sooner or later he's going to get caught.

But even with his suspect action he lacks skills of a complete fast bowler.

 

[itsme]

Junaid is not good enough and he chucks anyway.

 

[the Great Khan]

only if Junaid can improve his fitness..otherwise amir will always have a rotating partner!! he needs to bulk up a bit especially the arms!

 

[Bilal7]

Of course they can but they need to work hard and keep improving.

I liked Junaids pumped up attitude but he also backed it up with some agrresive bowling.

Sometimes when there is stiff competition you get the best out of your players because they know they have to perform or lose their place - hopefully this happens with these 2.

I enjoyed him giving Warner a taste of his own bitter medicine. Stared him down, took him out and then rubbed it in.

Should be careful though because Warner doesn't forget.

 

[itsme]

He bowls well today so he should get the serie

 

[Bilal7]

Correct on Junaid s action. Sooner or later he's going to get caught.

But even with his suspect action he lacks skills of a complete fast bowler.

Please stop repeating this fallacy. Did you even watch the second ODI? Is taking out both their openers not a good enough display of new ball skills? Talk about becoming a poor man's Mamoon.

 

[Hawkeye]

Please stop repeating this fallacy. Did you even watch the second ODI? Is taking out both their openers not a good enough display of new ball skills? Talk about becoming a poor man's Mamoon.

Not quite sure why you aren't willing to accept the reality.

Trust me, if you ask Junaid, even he will tell you I'm an old ball reverse swing bowler.

He does not have skill with the new ball . Wickets can sometimes be extracted if you bowl tight line and length as at the start batsmen are trying to score.

He does not earn his new ball Wickets the same way Amir does because he cannot.

 

[itsme]

Junaid bowl good length and line and use good angle,was angling the ball in and bowl some straight one,he wasn't swinging it.

 

[itsme]

But this was good enough if he can maintain this lines it doesn't really matter if he doesn't swing much but i don't think he will and like i said before he chucks.

 

[Syed1]

No, they cannot.

To become a good pair, especially as strike bowlers, you have to possess the skills of strike bowlers.

Junaid is very mediocre and ordinary here. He has zero skill with the new ball and will only waste it. He has no idea how to swing the ball and he never has at will.

Amir is a natural swing bowler with an inswinger, but he's skilled and can also turn it away.

We need a good strike bowler to pair up with Amir. Until then our attack will remain average.

Junaid can be a decent first change bowler, but ONLY if he's able to regain his previous skill. i.e. old ball reverse swing at 140kph and death bowling.

I don't think you were watching this match. Junaid thoroughly out bowled Amir with the new ball.

Obviously people are letting their personal issues with Junaid effect their judgement

 

[Abdullah719]

How's this for a stat, the guy has been literally run into the ground because of overburden in unforgiving conditions for Fast bowlers..

'From the time he began his international career, right after the 2011 World Cup, to the time he played his last international before the injury, the only Pakistani with more overs, across formats, under his belt was Saeed Ajmal. ' - cricinfo

The reason why Junaid is second on that list is because no other bowler established himself, not because he was bowled into the ground.

Most overs bowled by pacers (across formats) from Junaid's debut till his last game before the injury (Aug 2014):

[table= class:grid][tr][td]Player[/td][td]Mat[/td][td]Inns[/td][td]Overs[/td][td]Wkts[/td][td]Ave[/td][td]Econ[/td][td]SR[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JM Anderson (ENG)[/td][td]80[/td][td]117[/td][td]1980.1[/td][td]233[/td][td]26.04[/td][td]3.06[/td][td]50.9[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]SCJ Broad (ENG)[/td][td]99[/td][td]133[/td][td]1832[/td][td]233[/td][td]28.18[/td][td]3.58[/td][td]47.1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]DW Steyn (SA)[/td][td]74[/td][td]102[/td][td]1368.2[/td][td]215[/td][td]20.81[/td][td]3.27[/td][td]38.1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]M Morkel (SA)[/td][td]81[/td][td]108[/td][td]1256[/td][td]166[/td][td]27.53[/td][td]3.63[/td][td]45.3[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]I Sharma (INDIA)[/td][td]57[/td][td]77[/td][td]1244.5[/td][td]129[/td][td]36.21[/td][td]3.75[/td][td]57.8[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]DJG Sammy (WI)[/td][td]121[/td][td]136[/td][td]1207[/td][td]112[/td][td]40.38[/td][td]3.74[/td][td]64.6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]PM Siddle (AUS)[/td][td]31[/td][td]59[/td][td]1096.1[/td][td]114[/td][td]27.59[/td][td]2.87[/td][td]57.6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Junaid Khan (PAK)[/td][td]75[/td][td]90[/td][td]1062.3[/td][td]148[/td][td]27.38[/td][td]3.81[/td][td]43[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]TG Southee (NZ)[/td][td]66[/td][td]84[/td][td]1042[/td][td]146[/td][td]26.75[/td][td]3.74[/td][td]42.8[/td][/tr][/table]

In this same period, Ajmal bowled over 2250(!) overs. Now that's ridiculous.

 

[RehanG]

Junaid needs to put 5-7kmph more, he will be very good bowler, i remember during the India series he was bowling at low 140s.

and Amir is going to play for next 10 year atleast in all three formats

 

[Syed1]

I enjoyed him giving Warner a taste of his own bitter medicine. Stared him down, took him out and then rubbed it in.

Should be careful though because Warner doesn't forget.

Also threatened to throw the ball at Warner although he had concealed the ball in his other arm. Made Warner flinch.

The only way you can beat Auusies is by speaking their language.

This good boy persona would only take you so far.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Junaid looks a very much improved bowler. The way he was releasing the ball was excellent.

Hopefully both can continue bowling well for the rest of the series and will be dangerous in English conditions this summer in the CT.

 

[waleed88]

The reason why Junaid is second on that list is because no other bowler established himself, not because he was bowled into the ground.

Most overs bowled by pacers (across formats) from Junaid's debut till his last game before the injury (Aug 2014):

[table= class:grid][tr][td]Player[/td][td]Mat[/td][td]Inns[/td][td]Overs[/td][td]Wkts[/td][td]Ave[/td][td]Econ[/td][td]SR[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JM Anderson (ENG)[/td][td]80[/td][td]117[/td][td]1980.1[/td][td]233[/td][td]26.04[/td][td]3.06[/td][td]50.9[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]SCJ Broad (ENG)[/td][td]99[/td][td]133[/td][td]1832[/td][td]233[/td][td]28.18[/td][td]3.58[/td][td]47.1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]DW Steyn (SA)[/td][td]74[/td][td]102[/td][td]1368.2[/td][td]215[/td][td]20.81[/td][td]3.27[/td][td]38.1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]M Morkel (SA)[/td][td]81[/td][td]108[/td][td]1256[/td][td]166[/td][td]27.53[/td][td]3.63[/td][td]45.3[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]I Sharma (INDIA)[/td][td]57[/td][td]77[/td][td]1244.5[/td][td]129[/td][td]36.21[/td][td]3.75[/td][td]57.8[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]DJG Sammy (WI)[/td][td]121[/td][td]136[/td][td]1207[/td][td]112[/td][td]40.38[/td][td]3.74[/td][td]64.6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]PM Siddle (AUS)[/td][td]31[/td][td]59[/td][td]1096.1[/td][td]114[/td][td]27.59[/td][td]2.87[/td][td]57.6[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Junaid Khan (PAK)[/td][td]75[/td][td]90[/td][td]1062.3[/td][td]148[/td][td]27.38[/td][td]3.81[/td][td]43[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]TG Southee (NZ)[/td][td]66[/td][td]84[/td][td]1042[/td][td]146[/td][td]26.75[/td][td]3.74[/td][td]42.8[/td][/tr][/table]

In this same period, Ajmal bowled over 2250(!) overs. Now that's ridiculous.

Difference is the number of overs bowled in unfriendly conditions with nothing in it for the bowlers in the seering heat of Uae.. now thats tough on any fast bowler

 

[itsme]

I don't think you were watching this match. Junaid thoroughly out bowled Amir with the new ball.

Obviously people are letting their personal issues with Junaid effect their judgement

He out bowled amir today no doubt,but his spell was nowhere as good as amir's spell in the previous match,amir bowled a proper swing bowling's spell.

 

[Abdullah719]

Difference is the number of overs bowled in unfriendly conditions with nothing in it for the bowlers in the seering heat of Uae.. now thats tough on any fast bowler

Fair enough. But Wahab has bowled a lot of overs in UAE as well since he has become a regular fixture in the side.

I think Junaid needs to put on a bit of weight. He seems too thin at the moment.

 

[GudduBadmash]

Correct on Junaid s action. Sooner or later he's going to get caught.

But even with his suspect action he lacks skills of a complete fast bowler.

Do you ever rate anybody without keeping your grudges in check? I hope you do not live real life like that, being bitter at every opportunity and not appreciating good when he sees it, it is a very ratchet human trait that is very common in the northwest of Pakistan especially in certain cities. Never happy for anybody else, always begrudge, keep personal hatred from appreciating what little good they see.

 

[GudduBadmash]

Please stop repeating this fallacy. Did you even watch the second ODI? Is taking out both their openers not a good enough display of new ball skills? Talk about becoming a poor man's Mamoon.

Mamoon tends to back up with some fact, Hawkeye just keeps grudges and hence only basis his opinions based upon those latent feelings


Hates Rizwan because he likes Umar Akmal
Hates Junaid and Imran because he is a Amir, Rahat and Wahab fan


Nothing logical or constructive about his views

 

[Syed1]

He out bowled amir today no doubt,but his spell was nowhere as good as amir's spell in the previous match,amir bowled a proper swing bowling's spell.

Different matches, different weather and pitch conditions.

 

[New Yorker]

If Junaid is ordinary the others are rubbish.

Junaid was a very handy ODI bowler, and if can regain that form he will be a good option. My hunch he wont quite.

But there is no reason to proceed as he or Amir are The Seal of Pakistani Pacers.

Let them do well or do poorly but keep rotating in new prospects. PPers get hung up on players much too easily. The key is not these names, but the process.

If Junaid does well and there are 3-4 bowlers in domestic who might be even better than him going on comparative performance then by all means lets try them.

Too many posters have developed some kind feverish fear of risking a new face.

ODIs are cheap.

 

[wrongun]

I don't see any reason why they can't- but there's a few things they'll need to work on.

Amir regained his swing these last couple of matches, he'll need to swing the red ball too. If his pace stays up around 145k then this also means they are quite different in speed and Amir can play the role of variation through express pace.

Junaid is still very early in his comeback. He bowled vey challenging lines & lengths yesterday, perfect for the conditions and just a hint of movement off the seam. He'll need to find swing again to stay a threat in all conditions.

You would also need a tall bowler to compliment them- Hasan Ali seemed to have some height.

 

[New Yorker]

I don't see any reason why they can't- but there's a few things they'll need to work on.

Amir regained his swing these last couple of matches, he'll need to swing the red ball too. If his pace stays up around 145k then this also means they are quite different in speed and Amir can play the role of variation through express pace.

Junaid is still very early in his comeback. He bowled vey challenging lines & lengths yesterday, perfect for the conditions and just a hint of movement off the seam. He'll need to find swing again to stay a threat in all conditions.

You would also need a tall bowler to compliment them- Hasan Ali seemed to have some height.

Sadaf is taller than all of them and has better stats.

 

[Syed1]

I don't understand this PP'er logic where even if a guy who they dislike or don't rate for some reason does well they still have to nitpick and put down his performance. Or ignore the most recent outing and bring up past follies.

However, when a player that they do rate doesn't do so well, he can slip under the radar of their harsh criticism and is let of the hook time and time again.

Judge everyone with the same standard.

And by that standard Junaid in his one match has done better than Wahab, Rahat, Irfan have done in a long, long while in ODIs. Also there is no point in throwing up random names in the air of the bowlers who haven't even played a full domestic season yet.

Have the objectivity to accept that you may have been wrong about a player and reduce your ego. It would take you far in this world.

 

[hitthestump]

After one game in which he performed OK, PPers are dreaming about a literal TTF forming a new ball partnership with Amir which will dominate the world.

 

[Zohaib Shah]

I hope Junaid Khan takes five wickets in the next match.

 

[Zohaib Shah]

Junaid was a very handy ODI bowler, and if can regain that form he will be a good option. My hunch he wont quite.

But there is no reason to proceed as he or Amir are The Seal of Pakistani Pacers.

Let them do well or do poorly but keep rotating in new prospects. PPers get hung up on players much too easily. The key is not these names, but the process.

If Junaid does well and there are 3-4 bowlers in domestic who might be even better than him going on comparative performance then by all means lets try them.

Too many posters have developed some kind feverish fear of risking a new face.

ODIs are cheap.

I don't rate Junaid Khan cause he has some name. I rate him because I feel he has potiential of being a Pakistani great. Him along with Amir should be our regulars in all formats. What we need to find is a good right handed bowler.

By the way I fully agree with the gist of your opinion. I just wanted to point that out.

 

[Ellipsism]

After one game in which he performed OK, PPers are dreaming about a literal TTF forming a new ball partnership with Amir which will dominate the world.

This is a PP tradition.

We had this thread (http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?237909-The-Pakistani-bowling-firepower-has-returned) made after winning a single IT20 against NZ.

 

[saeedhk]

Amir is an average bowler.

 

[Syed1]

After one game in which he performed OK, PPers are dreaming about a literal TTF forming a new ball partnership with Amir which will dominate the world.

It is better than raving about unknown bowlers who are yet to play a full domestic season.

 

[coy0607]

I don't remember Junaid ever being a very good test match bowler, he was always better suited for ODIs and T20s

 

[Eagle_Eye]

Unlikely.... fitness is a persistent issue with junaid. There was a brief period when he showed exceptional skill with the ball in OD formats... but he failed to improve his fitness and regressed alarmingly when the rigours of international cricket took its toll.

 

[Ellipsism]

It is better than raving about unknown bowlers who are yet to play a full domestic season.

No one is raving about "unknown bowlers"...

 

[waleed88]

Fair enough. But Wahab has bowled a lot of overs in UAE as well since he has become a regular fixture in the side.

I think Junaid needs to put on a bit of weight. He seems too thin at the moment.

I agree, Wahab has bowled alot of spells since 2014 mid.. which has resulted in a deterioration of his performances (somewhat in relative terms) from when he first came

 

[waleed88]

Unlikely.... fitness is a persistent issue with junaid. There was a brief period when he showed exceptional skill with the ball in OD formats... but he failed to improve his fitness and regressed alarmingly when the rigours of international cricket took its toll.

I disagree on this point, from 2011 to 2014, he bowled the most overs by any Pakistani across all formats barring Saeed Ajmal.. fitness is not an issue with him, he's just had one knee injury and hasn't been the same since then..
But 2016 has been a good year for Junaid and he is finally hitting the right kind of form

 

[Speedster777]

I disagree on this point, from 2011 to 2014, he bowled the most overs by any Pakistani across all formats barring Saeed Ajmal.. fitness is not an issue with him, he's just had one knee injury and hasn't been the same since then..
But 2016 has been a good year for Junaid and he is finally hitting the right kind of form

Junaid was dropped by Waqar and Misbah because of personal disliking. Quite unprofessional on their part to drop him.

 

[waleed88]

Junaid was dropped by Waqar and Misbah because of personal disliking. Quite unprofessional on their part to drop him.

I get it, it could be a reason... Waqar had to really struggle to utter two-three words of praise for Junaid Khan throughout the match..

 

[Abdullah719]

Junaid was dropped by Waqar and Misbah because of personal disliking. Quite unprofessional on their part to drop him.

Yeah nothing to do with his injuries or his lack of effectiveness when he returned in 2015... all about the 'personal dislikes'.

 

[Speedster777]

I get it, it could be a reason... Waqar had to really struggle to utter two-three words of praise for Junaid Khan throughout the match..

yeah waqar is very petty. he even targeted umar akmal in his commentary lol . umar akmal and shehzad were the two cricketers he criticized in the leaked report.

 

[Speedster777]

Yeah nothing to do with his injuries or his lack of effectiveness when he returned in 2015... all about the 'personal dislikes'.

yeah waqar doesn't have a big ego. his man management skills were so good every player sings he praises

 

[Mamoon]

No.

Amir is overrated - good in Limited Overs but mediocre in Tests with minimal impact; Junaid is not good enough for any format and has a suspect action.

 

[Hawkeye]

Do you ever rate anybody without keeping your grudges in check? I hope you do not live real life like that, being bitter at every opportunity and not appreciating good when he sees it, it is a very ratchet human trait that is very common in the northwest of Pakistan especially in certain cities. Never happy for anybody else, always begrudge, keep personal hatred from appreciating what little good they see.

There are no grudges. Just some bitter facts.

You're a fan and would obviously cannot hear anything that goes against your assumed opinion that he's excellent.

But give a read to what we have written. He cannot partner Amir and the reasons have been laid out.

Don't get too serious, it's just cricket.

 

[khurram39]

Amir is fixed so no need to discuss him then we need to discuss other's available around him.
Wahab: He is not accurate and consistent but speedy
Rahat: He is accurate and had control but not that much speedy and may not be the right option at the death over
Irfan: tall and not that much control and limited speed and also have fitness problems
So we left junaid: Who is relatively more accurate from the lot and have better control than Wahab and Irfan also had swing but not touching the speed of Wahab

As we see Amir is improving his speed with time so on the same basis I want to said Junaid will also improve his pace. So the pair is good than the lot.

 

[Abdullah719]

yeah waqar doesn't have a big ego. his man management skills were so good every player sings he praises

Junaid's figures after his comeback in 2015:

ODIs v Bangladesh
10-0-53-0
9-0-61-1
7.3-0-67-2

Tests v Bangladesh
37-7-128-2
16.5-3-71-3

ODI v Zimbabwe
3-0-23-0

Tests v Sri Lanka
23-6-61-0
33-5-119-1

See, I like to stick to the factual information.

Tell me. Are these good figures for a leading fast bowler?

I never said anything about any man management skills. I said Junaid was dropped because of his lack of form. If you can counter that with a proper point to the contrary, get back to me.

 

[Syed1]

No.

Amir is overrated - good in Limited Overs but mediocre in Tests with minimal impact; Junaid is not good enough for any format and has a suspect action.

I'm no expert, but same Junaid "not good enough" Khan made one of the best openers in the world in Warner look like a school boy.

In his short stay at the crease Junaid beat his bat couple of times, had two close lbw shouts, had one ball aimed at the ribs fended off with the glove and in the end got an edge through to the keeper.

If we have other such bowlers who are "not good enough" then I'm sure we will do very well in ODIs.


Sometimes it helps to actually watch the match rather than following through cricinfo.

 

[Syed1]

Why is it that for PP experts Junaid has a suspect action even though he has never been called and Ashwin has a legal action precisely because he has never been called. Be consistent in your logic folks.

 

[Mamoon]

Why is it that for PP experts Junaid has a suspect action even though he has never been called and Ashwin has a legal action precisely because he has never been called. Be consistent in your logic folks.

Ashwin has the cleanest action in the game for a spinner. Junaid's action is suspect, and as suspect as an action can be unless it is blatantly illegal. In simpler words, he is the fast bowling version of Hafeez.

If he gets reported, most serious observers (conspiracy theorists are irrelevant - they even defend Ajmal) might say that he has been hard done by, but it will be difficult for him to clear the test nevertheless.

Nonetheless, let's hope that he does not get reported. It will be further humiliation for Pakistan cricket which has been humiliated enough already due to multiple reasons.

 

[Mamoon]

I'm no expert, but same Junaid "not good enough" Khan made one of the best openers in the world in Warner look like a school boy.

In his short stay at the crease Junaid beat his bat couple of times, had two close lbw shouts, had one ball aimed at the ribs fended off with the glove and in the end got an edge through to the keeper.

If we have other such bowlers who are "not good enough" then I'm sure we will do very well in ODIs.


Sometimes it helps to actually watch the match rather than following through cricinfo.

Yes, and once upon a time he made Kohli his bunny. One should look at the bigger picture, and Junaid has been mediocre more often than not.

Junaid doing well in this series does not bode well for Pakistan in the long-term, mediocrity should not be accepted, but then again, the alternatives are Wahab, Rahat and Irfan . . . .

 

[Mamoon]

and I don't follow Junaid on Cricinfo, which is why I know that he was never bowling as good as his numbers suggested/suggest, and that he is a poor new ball bowler because of his inability to generate conventional swing. At best, he can move the ball off the seam like Gul.

Barring the Indian series, he has never impressed me, notwithstanding his brilliant numbers during 2013-2014.

 

[Speedster777]

Junaid's figures after his comeback in 2015:

ODIs v Bangladesh
10-0-53-0
9-0-61-1
7.3-0-67-2

Tests v Bangladesh
37-7-128-2
16.5-3-71-3

ODI v Zimbabwe
3-0-23-0

Tests v Sri Lanka
23-6-61-0
33-5-119-1

See, I like to stick to the factual information.

Tell me. Are these good figures for a leading fast bowler?

I never said anything about any man management skills. I said Junaid was dropped because of his lack of form. If you can counter that with a proper point to the contrary, get back to me.

Good for you you can believe whatever you want BUT Factual does not mean truth. You want to believe statistical figures as ultimate truth good for you I'm not one dimensional so I won't by figures alone. They do not show the whole picture.. They do not tell your leading fast bowler Irfan is unit and yet selected, Wahab is unfit and still playing with horrendous figures in fact a record of being the expensive bowler, Rahat despite multiple failures is still getting elected again and again. The fitness issue of Junaid happened around the same time however that does not mean he was dropped just because of fitness issue because he did became fit long time back but was not getting selected.

 

[Speedster777]

I never said anything about any man management skills. I said Junaid was dropped because of his lack of form. If you can counter that with a proper point to the contrary, get back to me.

No you can't just pick and choose whatever factors you want and ignore others. If Junaid was dropped due to lack of form than imran should have dropped as well for going wicketless against bangaldesh atleast junaid took couple of wickets. hafeez should have been dropped as well.

 

[Abdullah719]

Good for you you can believe whatever you want BUT Factual does not mean truth. You want to believe statistical figures as ultimate truth good for you I'm not one dimensional so I won't by figures alone. They do not show the whole picture.. They do not tell your leading fast bowler Irfan is unit and yet selected, Wahab is unfit and still playing with horrendous figures in fact a record of being the expensive bowler, Rahat despite multiple failures is still getting elected again and again. The fitness issue of Junaid happened around the same time however that does not mean he was dropped just because of fitness issue because he did became fit long time back but was not getting selected.

No you can't just pick and choose whatever factors you want and ignore others. If Junaid was dropped due to lack of form than imran should have dropped as well for going wicketless against bangaldesh atleast junaid took couple of wickets. hafeez should have been dropped as well.

If you want to talk about the whole picture and reality, then you must remember that Junaid was bowling 120kph gun-barrel straight in 2015. That is why he was dropped. He was cannon-fodder at the time. He was given four ODIs and four Tests against opposition that was decent at best, and couldn't do much of note.

In one match after returning, he's shown more performance than he did in the whole of 2015.

 

[Syed1]

If you want to talk about the whole picture and reality, then you must remember that Junaid was bowling 120kph gun-barrel straight in 2015. That is why he was dropped. He was cannon-fodder at the time. He was given four ODIs and four Tests against opposition that was decent at best, and couldn't do much of note.

In one match after returning, he's shown more performance than he did in the whole of 2015.

People don't realize what Junaid has been through. Kaptaan Misbah ran him to the ground, you yourself posted a stat in which Junaid bowled an usually large amount of overs before his injury.

Then he got injured and knowing PCB (and how they have handled Harry's knee injury) I'm certain Junaid was undercooked when he returned to the side in 2015.

In the meantime he also lost a child, which is one of the hardest things in life to EVER overcome. To still come back and thoroughly outbowl Amir and give a better performance than what Wahab, Rahat and Irfan have done in years is truly commendable.

That is why I support this guy, he has got the heart of a warrior. Never say die attitude.

 

[Abdullah719]

People don't realize what Junaid has been through. Kaptaan Misbah ran him to the ground, you yourself posted a stat in which Junaid bowled an usually large amount of overs before his injury.

Then he got injured and knowing PCB (and how they have handled Harry's knee injury) I'm certain Junaid was undercooked when he returned to the side in 2015.

In the meantime he also lost a child, which is one of the hardest things in life to EVER overcome. To still come back and thoroughly outbowl Amir and give a better performance than what Wahab, Rahat and Irfan have done in years is truly commendable.

That is why I support this guy, he has got the heart of a warrior. Never say die attitude.

Actually the stat I posted was supposed to show that while he bowled a lot of overs, there were other pacers who bowled more in the same period. However, he did bowl a lot of those overs in the UAE which must be taken into account as well.

Junaid was probably rushed back - it's obvious by now that PCB are useless when it comes to handling injuries.

I just don't like allegations being thrown around that he was out of the team due to 'personal dislikes'. Even if you look up his First-Class and List A performances after he was dropped, they have been quite ordinary to say the least.

I do hope he does well because we desperately need to get rid of the likes of Rahat etc.

 

[The_KING]

I don't trust Junaid's action. To me he is a chucker and will be called out soon

 

[Bilal7]

People don't realize what Junaid has been through. Kaptaan Misbah ran him to the ground, you yourself posted a stat in which Junaid bowled an usually large amount of overs before his injury.

Then he got injured and knowing PCB (and how they have handled Harry's knee injury) I'm certain Junaid was undercooked when he returned to the side in 2015.

In the meantime he also lost a child, which is one of the hardest things in life to EVER overcome. To still come back and thoroughly outbowl Amir and give a better performance than what Wahab, Rahat and Irfan have done in years is truly commendable.

That is why I support this guy, he has got the heart of a warrior. Never say die attitude.

I remember you gave up on him a year ago.

 

[mmkextreme_1]

Junaids length even in the previous ODI was short of a good length, in Australia that will work but in Asia that is easy pickings and batsmen will smash left right center. I hope he proves me wrong, but Junaid has this tendency of bowling short continously.