Fresh from his brilliant performance in the recent edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Pakistan’s out-of-favour pacer Junaid Khan has insisted that he has regained his lost confidence and rhythm and is now eyeing a return to the national ODI squad.
The 27-year-old, who was discarded for the 2016 tour of England when most pundits expected him to feature in the high-profile series, did not wallow in self-pity and instead focused on improving his skills and put them to the test for Khulna Titans in the 2016 edition of the BPL.
In fourteen matches, the left-arm pacer has picked up 20 wickets and emerged as the second highest wicket-taker behind Dwayne Bravo.
Talking about his BPL performance, Junaid said he was satisfied with the way he bowled, adding that he had gained all the qualities that are the key of a fast bowler.
“Its not just about taking wickets in BPL, I’m happier about the way I’m able to bowl. Most importantly, my rhythm and confidence are back and those are key for a fast bowler,” the Dawn quoted Junaid as saying.
Junaid, who played his last match for Pakistan in the Test series against Sri Lanka in June 2015, also said that although he felt disappointed when he was discarded from the England tour.
“I was in England when I heard about the news and denied the false claims that I had said I’d like to play for India and not Pakistan via a tweet. I always want to represent my country but was disappointed when dropped from the team as I had been regular members for a few years,” he added.