"Reinvigorated" James Faulkner ready for competitive cricket again

Faulkner is highly impressed with Siddharth Kaul and Mustafizur Rahman.

James Faulkner | Getty Images

Australian all-rounder James Faulkner, who is known for his aggressive batting in the middle order, and for his death overs bowling, has been currently going through the rough phace on the field.

The things did not go right for the spirited all-rounder, as the 27-year-old first lost his place in the Australian squad and then Cricket Australia didn't award him the central contract due to series of inconsistent performances and a knee injury. He also went unsold in the IPL Auction 2018.

Now, Faulkner has put all things behind and feels a bit of confidence with his body and raring to play for the Lancashire County Cricket Club in the English T20 Cricket this July.

Faulkner told The Hindu, “I picked up a knee injury before the World Cup and I went with it through the event. After that, I struggled with a bit of rhythm and a bit of confidence with my body. I have had some time off for the last few months to get myself all right.”

The fast-bowler further added, “My next commitment is with Lancashire in the T20 format this July. I have got a couple of years with them. Yeah, feel freshened up. Body is feeling good. My knee is as good as it has ever been. I am reinvigorated and ready to go back again.”

Faulkner stressed that he was ready to go through the grind to get back to his best. “I wasn’t getting any breaks at all. It takes its toll on your body. It might be a blessing in disguise that I have had this time to get everything all right, play the game and have good performances up."

Meanwhile, commenting on the ongoing IPL 2018, Faulkner is highly impressed with two pacers — Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Siddharth Kaul and Mumbai Indians’ Mustafizur Rahman.

Faulkner signed off by saying, “I like the knuckle ball from Kaul. He uses it effectively. He has got some pace as well. Uses the short ball well. He has definitely grabbed my attention. Obviously, Mustafizur has got a very good slower ball. He is still finding his feet but is a class player. They are probably the top two pacers who have grabbed my attention.”

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 28 Apr, 2018

    Share Via