Junaid Khan Archives

Junaid Khan terms India’s bowling “zero” without Jasprit Bumrah

Former Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan took a dig at India’s bowling attack following their historic defeat against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded three-match ODI series.

India, on Wednesday, succumbed to their first ODI series defeat against Sri Lanka in 27 years as the home side won the three-match series 2-0.

Sri Lanka came from behind in the ODI series opener to force a tie before Jeffrey Vandersay’s 6/33 gave them a resounding 32-run victory in the second fixture.

The home side completely outplayed India in the third ODI, banking on the visitors’ woes against their disciplined spin-laden bowling attack.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan, reacting to India’s historic defeat against Sri Lanka, made a major assertion regarding their bowling attack, stating that they are reliant on right-arm pacer Bumrah.

“Would you agree? Without Bumrah, India’s bowling is zero… #INDvSL #SLVSIND,” he wrote on X.

Remember, Jasprit Bumrah was given rest from India’s white-ball tour to Sri Lanka, comprised of a three-match each ODI and T20I series, in a bid to ensure the pacer’s workload management.

Meanwhile, India’s captain Rohit Sharma, in response to a question on India’s alleged complacency in the series, said that his side will give their best when he is the captain of the team.

“It is a joke. When you are playing for India, there is no complacency. And, as far as I am here captaining the team, it’s not going to be the case. You come out here trying to win every game,” the Indian captain added.

He acknowledged that the hosts outplayed the visitors throughout the series on the back of all-rounder performances.

“Yeah, we were outplayed throughout the series. You’ve got to give credit where it is due. Sri Lanka played better than us,” Sharma said.

READ: India beat Spain to clinch Paris Olympics Bronze in Hockey

Junaid Khan, Muhammad Wasim named in Pakistan women’s team coaching setup

Former chief selector Muhammad Wasim and former pacer Junaid Khan were named in Pakistan women’s cricket team’s coaching staff for the ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2024.

A four-day training camp of the Pakistan women’s cricket team for next month’s ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 started here at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi on Wednesday morning.

Twenty-eight (28) cricketers have been invited to the camp by the women’s national selection committee, which will be onsite to assess and evaluate players’ performances before announcing the squad for the Dambulla, Sri Lanka.

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Meanwhile, the PCB has confirmed the team management for the ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2024. Muhammad Wasim will be the head coach, while former Test bowlers Abdur Rehman and Junaid Khan will be the spin bowling and assistant coaches, respectively.

The eight-team ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup will be played in Dambulla, Sri Lanka from 19 to 28 July. In the T20I tournament, Pakistan are placed in Group ‘A’ along with India, Nepal and UAE.

Pakistan will take on arch-rivals India on the opening day of the tournament, while matches against Nepal and UAE will be played on 21 and 23 July, respectively.

Players participating in four-day camp:

Aliya Riaz, Anoosha Nasir, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Dua Majid, Eyman Fatima, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Humna Bilal, Iram Javed, Maham Manzoor, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Quratulain, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Yusra Amir, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar

Player Support Personnel for the ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2024 – Hina Munawar (manager), Muhammad Wasim (head coach), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach), Junaid Khan (assistant coach), Hanif Malik (fielding coach), Rabia Siddiq (physiotherapist), strength and conditioning coach (tbc) and Waleed Ahmed (analyst).

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Junaid Khan takes a dig at Virat Kohli

Former Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan took a dig at India’s batting superstar Virat Kohli after his failure in the India Premier League (IPL) match on Thursday.

Kohli had a rough outing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Mumbai Indians as he managed just three runs before falling victim to Jasprit Bumrah in the third over.

The right-handed batter conceded nine deliveries, meaning that he batted at a dismal strike rate of just 33.33.

Consequently, Junaid Khan took to his X, formerly Twitter, and took a dig at Virat Kohli’s below-par knock.

The left-arm pacer did not mention Kohli in his Tweet but wrote the strike rate with which the latter scored, followed by a hashtag of the IPL match between RCB and Mumbai Indians.

“Strike rate 33.33,” wrote Junaid.

Strike rate 33.33 😶#RCBvsMI

— Junaid khan (@JunaidkhanREAL) April 11, 2024

Last week, Junaid Khan trolled Kohli for scoring the joint-slowest century in the history of IPL.

“Congratulations Virat kholi on the slowest 100 in the history of IPL,” wrote Junaid.

Congratulations Virat kholi on the slowest 💯 in the history of IPL#RRvRCB #IPL2024

— Junaid khan (@JunaidkhanREAL) April 6, 2024

For the unversed, Kohli took 67 balls to score his eighth hundred in the cash-rich league but the milestone turned out to be an undesired one for the star batter as he equalled his former RCB teammate Manish Pandey’s record of the slowest IPL hundred which came against Deccan Chargers in 2009.

Junaid Khan boasts an extremely dominant record against Virat Kohli in ODIs.

The left-arm pacer bowled 24 deliveries and leaked just three runs against Kohli while dismissing the batter three times.

READ: Mohammad Amir opens up after Pakistan comeback

Junaid Khan disappointed over New Zealand top players missing Pakistan tour

Former pace bowler Junaid Khan has expressed disappointment over the absence of top New Zealand players in the squad for the tour of Pakistan.

Earlier today, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Pakistan under the leadership of allrounder Michael Bracewell.

New Zealand’s first-choice players Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner and Kane Williamson opted out of the tour due to their commitments in the IPL.

Junaid Khan took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account to voice concern over players missing out on an international series due to a franchise league.

“It’s sad to see leagues are being prioritised over the team that gave them all the respect. 11/12 senior [New Zealand] players are not available for an international series,” he posted.

It's sad to see leagues are being prioritised over the team that gave them all the respect. 11/12 senior players are not available for an international series.#PAKvNZ #pakistan https://t.co/MlPrSycxNb

— Junaid khan (@JunaidkhanREAL) April 3, 2024

Notably, Bracewell will lead New Zealand for the first time during the upcoming series against Pakistan.

He last played for New Zealand in March last year before suffering a ruptured right Achilles injury during the T20 Blast in June and then a broken finger.

He made his comeback during the Plunket Shield and claimed career-best bowling figures of 8 for 41 while playing for Wellington against Otago.

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The squad also features uncapped batter Tim Robinson and fast bowler Will O’Rourke, who represented New Zealand in Test and ODI cricket earlier this season.

The Blackcaps squad will reach Pakistan on 14 April and will play three T20Is at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on 18, 20 and 21 April.

Following that, the action will move to Lahore, where the remaining two T20Is of the series will be played on 25 and 27 April, respectively.

New Zealand T20I squad vs Pakistan

Michael Bracewell (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Will O’Rourke, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi

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Junaid Khan named as Pakistan U19 team’s bowling coach

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday appointed the former left-arm pacer Junaid Khan as the Pakistan U19 team’s bowling coach.

The decision came following the unavailability of bowling coach Rehan Riaz, who has opted out of the ICC U19 World Cup 2024 due to a family emergency.

Junaid Khan, who previously served as the head coach of Islamabad Region, led the team to victory in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy 2023-24 recently.

The 34-year-old Junaid Khan has represented Pakistan in 22 Test matches since his debut in 2011, picking 71 wickets at an average of 31.73.

He also picked 110 wickets in 76 ODI matches at 29.23 from 2011 to 2019, while in T20I cricket he picked eight wickets in nine games.

Junaid Khan was also part of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy-winning squad where Pakistan triumphed over India in the final.

The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 will commence on January 19, 2024, in South Africa, while the final is scheduled to be played on February 11, 2024.

Five venues across South Africa will host a total of 41 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup matches.

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The 15th edition of the showpiece event will feature 16 teams, divided into four groups.

Group A features defending champions India alongside Bangladesh, Ireland and the United States of America (USA), while Group B consists of England, South Africa, West Indies, and Scotland.

Two-time champions Pakistan are placed in Group D alongside Afghanistan, New Zealand and Nepal while Australia, Sri Lanka, Namibia and Zimbabwe were placed in Group C.

The top three sides from each group progress to the Super Six phase of the event.

The top four teams at the conclusion of the Super Six stage will then advance to the semi-finals, scheduled on February 6 and 8.

Meanwhile, the final of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup will take place on February 11 in Benoni.

South Africa will host the U19 World Cup for the third time, having previously hosted the 1998 and 2020 editions.

Notably, the International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded the hosting rights of the mega event to South Africa as a consequence of the apex cricket body’s provisional ban on Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

READ: 2023 – a year of ups and downs for Pakistan Cricket

Junaid Khan expresses concern over Khurram Shahzad

Former cricketer Junaid Khan expressed his concerns over the fitness of young right-arm pacer Khurram Shahzad ahead of Pakistan’s second Test against Australia in Melbourne.

Khurram Shahzad bowled 38 overs, conceded 128 runs and ended up with five wickets in the Perth Test.

Things did not get better for Pakistan following their hammering 360-run defeat in the series opener as the pacer became doubtful for the upcoming fixture.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated that he complained of discomfort in his left side during the game and was sent for an MRI scan after the match.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s former ace pacer Junaid Khan acknowledged Khurram Shahzad’s performance in the Perth Test before highlighting a technical flaw in the latter’s bowling action.

“Everyone is saying that Khurram Shazad bowled outstandingly. No doubt, he bowled well, but, his bio-mechanic is not right,” asserted Junaid.

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The former pacer then highlighted a significant decline in Shahzad’s pace before expressing his concern that the emerging star could get injured if the management makes him play another fixture.

“In the first innings, he was bowling 135 [kph] and in the second 130 [kph]. But, if he plays a Test or two then he might get injured,” he added.

Pakistan, who were at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table with a perfect, record, got another blow to their campaign when the International Cricket Council (ICC) penalized them for maintaining a slow over-rate during the Perth Test.

Pakistan were fined 10 per cent of their match fee and docked two ICC WTC points.

The sanction after a hammering defeat, consequently resulted in them slipping to the second spot with a winning rate of 61.11.

Two-time runners-up India benefitted from Pakistan’s demotion and reached the summit with a winning percentage of 66.67.

Australia squad:

Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan’s squad:

Shan Masood (captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Aamir Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Sajid Khan, Abrar Ahmed.

READ: Pakistan suffer injury scare amid Australia Tour