Amir left behind a void.That is news to me.The one who really left behind a void was Asif.That is a price we are still playing.Amir had played very little at that time to have left some kind of a void behind.Answer this question:
If Junaid Khan had left after the India series due to some circumstances, will he have left behind a void?
He did leave a void. He was one of the nation's top 2 fast bowlers at the time. He had a guaranteed place in the side when he was caught. When he was taken out, there was a
"void" to fill. Sure, you can debate who left a larger void between Asif and Amir. BUT, that's entirely different discussion and irrelevant here.
If Junaid Khan left after the India series, he would have left a void cause right now he's a guaranteed opening bowler. BUT, like i said, we don't know how large that void is until we start looking for replacements.
Now coming on to the Amir vs Junaid debate.No, Amir is not miles better than Junaid. Both have the same stats with Junaid playing most of his games in the Sub-Continent..Amir could do a lot more with the ball, but the question is what does that amount to when his extra ordinary skills could get him only as much wickets as Junaid.Surely, you don't criticize a worker for how he does the job when he gets the job done?I want Pakistan to win and Juniad has been instrumental, very instrumental in those wins so I am happy with it.He averages under 24 with the ball in ODI's and 29 in 9 tests with three 5 wicket hauls on dead SC wickets.So I don't understand what void being not filled are we talking about here, if there was a void in the first place.
You are looking at this entire debate without giving due consideration to potential. You are judging an 18 year old's stats with those of a 23 year old's.
Junaid's work has been remarkable. He's a good bowler and one that will find a spot in the team for a long time. Yet, stats are often not enough to assess a bowler's worth and ability.
I've watched both of them bowl from the start of their international careers. There is no doubt Mohammad Amir was miles ahead of Junaid Khan in relation to talent and ability. All of this at the raw age of 18.
Where I agree with you is on the void being filled. I do feel Junaid Khan has done enough to ensure Amir's loss has been minimized.
Now coming on to the point about on age difference.That is really poor argument, I believe.How do we know that Junaid wasn't capable of bowling like he is now when he was 18?How do you know Amir would have continued to bowl the same?How can we assume that he would have bowled well in the SC when his record suggests otherwise?
Junaid was not capable of bowling like he does now. When he first came into the side, he was not getting the ball to move around like he does now. He has developed slowly, but surely.
Mohammad Amir was almost the complete package when he walked in. He was pacy, could swing the ball, and was accurate. All at the raw age of 17/18. He was tearing up the domestic scene at the age of 15/16!
How do we know he would have bowled the same? We don't. BUT, I can say the same about Junaid Khan. How do we know he will bowl well from this point forward? What if he fails every match and his career ends?
Let me guess, you will say
"but look at his track record, he won't fade away" and this is the point I will make right back to you for Amir. His track record is all we had to go on and it screams that he wasn't going to fade away any time soon. Heck, he was just getting better and better in terms of his bowling knowledge and ability.
As for his performance in SC conditions, his only chance in SC conditions was in his debut series. How is that even remotely fair as a criteria to adjudge his ability in such conditions?
That's like me saying Junaid Khan would never have bowled well in Zimbabwe because of how did in his debut test. BTW, Junaid Khan took 1/64 against Zimbabwe on debut. Rubbish bowler right? How could he ever do well against Zimbabwe. I mean that just shows he's a failure in Zimbabwean conditions.
When the sample sizes are so small, it is useless to make sweeping judgements. They are rarely right and only demean/overvalue a player.
As for Amir,I am not a hater before anyone labels me as such,He was a great bowler with the potential of being ATG.I loved to see him bowl and he was one of my favorites back then.But he cheated me and millions other and more than that he cheated Pakistan.The country that gave him the opportunity to be who he was.And that is inexcusable in my book.And that's why I think he is not coming back.He did something which people won't forget.So we should just forget him and invest in what we have.
If Amir really does comeback, which won't happen, Imagine what if he bowls a No-Ball(which he is bound to some time). What happens then?Or worse he bowls it in the the world cup semi-quater final?Who will believe he didn't do it on purpose again?Who would believe that a person who could do it once won't do it again?What will be the atmosphere of the changing room?Won't the other players suffer?What if investigations are made again for another claim of spot fixing?The media is a beast in the time we are living and our own Geo news and others will hype it more than the rest of the world.What example does it set?That you can do what you want.Spend 5 years away and return as if nothing happened.And the most important question of them all. Will Amir be able to take all the pressure, all the talk from the press, his team mates, the nation and still perform? Won't it affect him in any way?
Yes, what he did was deplorable. This is something that is a sad truth of our cricket. We saw a talent ruin his career right in front of our own eyes.
BUT, whether you or I like it, he WILL get a second chance. The board is already fast tracking him and trying to woo the ICC into giving him access to their facilities. Does it really look like Pakistan will move past him? I don't think so and it would be naive to think otherwise.
As for the media and all of that nonsense, he's going to hear that for the rest of his career. Yet, without proof, the media can say all they want, it won't make a difference. It is highly unlikely he will commit the same offence again.
If his performance starts fading, the selectors will drop him. It is as simple as that. If he cannot handle the pressures associated with his current situation, he won't have a job to worry about. He will be back home resting as other bowlers take his spot.
He's probably going to be kept on a very short leash when he comes back. People will be expecting the world from him and he might have to deliver, if he wants to keep his spot.
If anyone can answer the above questions then we can talk about his return.His return tale is not the fairy tale every one makes it out to be.The reason I made these points is that we are living in the past.We need to move on.Every other day a thread about Amir being better than Junaid pops up.We need to understand that Amir is a thing of past and Junaid is as good if not better and more hardworking than Amir so we should invest in him rather than hyping up a player who was good and had potential no doubt, but sold himself and his country without even giving a damn.
We can't make such definite conclusions on his case. All signs are pointing to him coming back the day his ban is overturned.
Junaid is a great player. He should not have his name linked with Amir anyway. This is where I do agree with you.
To be honest, our opening bowling pair will probably be Amir and Khan in the future. It is lined up to be like that at this point.
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this is beyond me why people want these players who bought national shame to the team back in the Pak jersey 
