Junaid says he is up for the challenge<\/p>\n
Sydney:Irafan set to leave the Pakistan ODI squad in Australia and fly back home following the death of his mother, a PCB spokesman has said. The selectors have named Junaid Khan as his replacement, giving the 27-year-old a chance to play international cricket for the first time since June 2015.
\nIrfan, 34, has not played for Pakistan since September last year, when he picked up cramps in both legs five overs into an ODI against England in Headingley. He worked on his fitness thereafter, but was not picked for the home series against West Indies in the UAE or the away tour of New Zealand.
\nInstead, left-arm fast bowler and WAPDA team-mate Junaid replaces him and will make a comeback of his own. Junaid had taken 78 wickets at 27.52 in 52 ODIs and had briefly spearheaded Pakistan’s attack before he was dropped. He took six wickets in seven games in the recently-concluded Departmental One Day Cup, before taking 4 for 31 for Peshawar in the Regional One Day Cup on Tuesday.
\nHe joins Pakistan’s four other fast bowlers, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz – both of whom buckled under heavy workloads in the 3-0 Test whitewash – Rahat Ali and Hasan Ali.
\nHaving bowled more than 150 overs in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament, and helping his side Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) to the title, Irfan won the Mediaroval of the selectors to play the five ODIs against Australia set to begin in Brisbane on Friday. Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said the 14 players were chosen “keeping in mind the conditions in Australia” where his ability to generate extra bounce might have made him an asset
\nPakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan expressed jubilation on his selection in the Pakistan’s One Day International (ODI) team for the Australia series, calling it a chance for him to prove himself in the field.
\n\u201cThis is a great moment for me… Although we are sad for the demise of [Mohammad] Irfan’s mother, it is a chance for me to prove myself and my fitness in Australia,\u201d Khan told DawnNews.
\n\u201cI am experiencing the same feelings right now as I did when I was selected for the first time.\u201d
\nKhan was called for the ODI series against Australia as a replacement for Mohammad Irfan, who is returning home following the death of his mother, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials said on Tuesday.
\nThe fast bowler has not only played domestic cricket but has also played in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), where he emerged as one of the top three best-performing bowlers. On Tuesday, he took four wickets in a domestic one-day match, leading Peshawar to victory against FATA.
\n“Getting back in the national team after almost one and a half years is the biggest achievement that I’ve been waiting for since a long time,\u201d Khan added.
\nThe fast bowler said that he has been in form for a while, attributing his selection to his consistent performance in domestic cricket as well as the BPL where he scored the second biggest number of wickets in the tournament.
\nAbout the ODI series in Australia, Khan said he is up for the challenge as pitches there are a “bit different”.
\n\u201cPitches in Australia are a bit different but I am confident to give a match-winning performance there,\u201d the fast bowler added.
\nHe also said that teamwork will lead Pakistan to victory in Australia.
\n\u201cI cannot go there and take wickets alone. It\u2019s a team effort, and I am sure my captain and fellow bowlers will give me all the support I’ll need,” he said.
\n\u201cI will do my best. The rest is up to fate.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Junaid says he is up for the challenge Sydney:Irafan set to leave the Pakistan ODI squad in Australia and fly back home following the death of his mother, a PCB spokesman has said. The selectors have named Junaid Khan as his replacement, giving the 27-year-old a chance to play international cricket for the first time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n