PCB Ropes In Junaid Khan As Bowling Coach Of U19 Team

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has roped in former left-arm pacer Junaid Khan as the new bowling coach of the U19 team. The move come ahead of the upcoming ICC U19 World Cup, set to take place in South Africa in January-February 2024.

Junaid Khan has been asked to join the team after Rehan Riaz opted out of the tournament. The latter pulled out of the tournament due to a family emergency. This can be a blessing in disguise for the team as Junaid has been one of the finest bowlers to have played the game.

Junaid Khan’s guidance for the young Pakistan boys can prove to be a career-defining moment. It won’t be a surprise if Pakistan’s pace attack in the tournament would be threatening. With Men in Green already known for their lethal fast bowling, the presence of Junaid in the team could be an icing on the cake for the team.

Junaid Khan has a fair amount of coaching experience. The former fast bowler was the head coach of Islamabad Region. Under him team won the Hanif Mohammad Trophy and Hanif Mohammad Cup 2023-24. His valuable experience was handy for the team.

PCB would be hoping that Junaid Khan achieves the same in the upcoming U19 World Cup. The fast bowler was one of the finest pacers to play 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 all throughout the series and removed him three times in the three games and was on top of the game. He was one of the reasons why Pakistan won that series.

Junaid Khan represented Pakistan in 107 international matches. He picked 189 wickets in his career. The left-arm pacer picked 22 Tests, 76 ODIs, and 9 T20s in his career. He arguably was one of the best pacers and could’ve been more threatening but injuries hampered his career.

Pakistan squad for the U19 World Cup 2024; Junaid Khan to be the bowling coach

The ICC U19 World Cup 2023 will be played in South Africa. The tournament was earlier scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka. But after the ICC banned the island nation, the tournament was moved to South Africa. Pakistan will be one of the favorites going into the tournament because of the kind of team that they named and the talent that they have.

Pakistan have a decent record in the U19 World Cup. They won the tournament in 2004 and 2006. They finished fifth in the previous edition in 2022. PCB recently named the squad for the tournament. They have some good players in the ranks and playing at a big stage would be a career-defining moment for them.

Here’s the Pakistan squad for the U19 World Cup 2024

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.