Discarded Pakistani left-arm pacer Junaid Khan made a surprising revelation about the team selection at the national team, alleging that players are given a long rope at the side if they are close to the captain and the team management and are in their good books.
The 31-year-old, who has picked up 190 wickets in 22 Tests, 76 ODIs, and 8 T20Is, has not been selected for any format for Pakistan since May 2019 despite being a consistent performer and the pacer claimed that it is only because he is in the bad books of selectors.
Speaking to CricketPakistan.com, Junaid said: “It is like if you are on good terms with the captain and team management then you will probably get a proper run in all formats to prove your worth. If you don’t have close relations with them then you are in and out.”
He further claimed that the selection in Pakistan cricket depends on which city the player belongs to.
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The bowler further explained, “If you belong to a big city, then people raise their voice for you. People like me and Yasir Shah are from Swabi. There is no TV channel or media person from Swabi, so there is no pressure on selectors regarding our selection from the media.”
The pacer was the second-highest wicket-taker after Hasan Ali in Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy victory in 2017, but he was excluded from the national squad, and even overlooked for the World Cup 2019 despite being initially named in it.
The 31-year-old further added, “I used to be part of the national team in all three formats. I used to ask for rest but I wasn’t given rest. Then came a time when I got in the bad books and was being ignored due to likes and dislikes. I was performing but was not being given a proper chance. I just got into the bad books of selectors that is all.”
However, Junaid has not given up hope of playing for Pakistan again and has been involved in domestic cricket regularly. He further said, “I am regularly playing domestic cricket and I believe if the selection is done justly I should be in consideration.”
The pacer also revealed that he “got a great offer from the United States of America (USA)” but he refused. He added, “I am being offered more money than what I earned while playing for Pakistan during my peak. However, I refused the offer as I still want to represent Pakistan.”
He also suggested the national selector give young players like Shaheen Shah proper breaks, otherwise, they would break down.
Junaid further explained, “Shaheen definitely needs rest. The management needs to make sure he doesn’t bowl a lot during the net sessions. Shaheen probably doesn’t want to rest himself because he might have fear of losing his place to a youngster, who might perform in his place. He must be thinking they might drop him from one format if he doesn’t perform in a few matches.”
He also slammed the nature of Pakistan cricket to drop experienced players if they don’t perform in a couple of games, which makes the players insecure about losing their place in the national team.
The pacer further explained, “In our culture, even if a player performs for six years and then doesn’t do well in two games, he is replaced by a new player who has done well in only a few games. Everyone forgets that player’s performances for the last six years and instead prefers younger talent. So our players are insecure about losing their place.”
He also urged the Pakistani selectors and management to learn from the other countries the way they are managing the workload of their fast bowlers for their long run.
Junaid signed off by saying, “We should learn about managing workload from England. During their recent Test series against India, they rotated James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Broad and Anderson would rest even after taking five or six wickets in the previous match. That is because they are secure of their place in the team. They know they will play in the future matches.”
(With PTI Inputs)
