Historically, fast bowling has always been the forte of Pakistan cricket, having produced a number of legends in this department of the game. The situation however, has deteriorated for the Green Shirts since the ban imposed on Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, two of the finest young speedsters of the modern era.
Umar Gul was expected to take the responsibility on his shoulders in the absence of the fast bowling duo, but the cricketer from Peshawar, along with Wahab Riaz and Aizaz Cheema, 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 Khan, 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 Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene 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 ICC World T20 2012, to be held in Sri Lanka in September/October, leaving out the budding fast bowler from Matara.
A tried and tested failure like Mohammad Sami 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.
Iqbal Qasim, 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, Mohsin Hasan Khan, 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.
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