The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has hired former left-arm pacer Junaid Khan as the new bowling coach of the U19 team. The move comes ahead of the upcoming ICC U19 World Cup, which will take place in South Africa in January-February 2024.
Junaid Khan was asked to join the team after Rehan Riaz opted out of the tournament. The latter withdrew from the tournament due to a family emergency. This can be a blessing in disguise for the team as Junaid has been one of the best players to have played this game.
Junaid Khan’s mentoring of young Pakistanis may prove to be a defining moment in his career. It would not be a surprise if Pakistan’s attacking pace in the tournament proved threatening. Since Men in Green is already known for their lethal fast bowling, Junaid’s presence in the team could be the icing on the cake for the team.
Junaid Khan has quite a bit of experience as a coach. The former fast bowler was the head coach of the Islamabad region. Under him, the team won the Hanif Mohammad Trophy and the 2023-24 Hanif Mohammad Cup. His valuable experience was useful to the team.
PCB hopes Junaid Khan achieves the same in the upcoming U19 World Cup. The fast bowler was one of the best pacers he played for Pakistan. During the time he played, the team was a great force in the bowling department, with him being the leader.
The highlight of Junaid Khan’s career was during the 2013 series against India. The fast bowler troubled Virat Kohli throughout the series and he dismissed him thrice in the three games and was on top of the game. He was one of the reasons Pakistan won that series.
Junaid Khan represented Pakistan in 107 international matches. He picked 189 wickets in his career. The left-arm pacer played 22 Tests, 76 ODIs and 9 T20s in his career. He was arguably one of the best pacers and could have been more threatening, but injuries hampered his career.
Pakistan squad for the 2024 U19 World Cup; Junaid Khan to be the bowling coach
The ICC U19 World Cup 2023 will be played in South Africa. The tournament was previously scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka. But after the ICC banned the island nation from hosting, the tournament was moved to South Africa. Pakistan will be one of the favorites heading into the tournament because of the type of team they named and the talent they have.
Pakistan has a decent record in the U-19 World Cup. They won the tournament in 2004 and 2006. They finished fifth in the previous edition in 2022. PCB recently named the team for the tournament. They have some good players in their ranks and playing on a big stage would be a career-defining moment.
Here is Pakistan’s squad for the 2024 U19 World Cup
Saad Baig (c) (wk), Ali Asfand (vc), Ali Raza, Ahmad Hassan, Amir Hassan, Arfat Minhas, Azan Awais, Haroon Arshad, Khubaib Khalil, Mohammad Zeeshan, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Muhammad Riazullah and Ubaid Shah.