I was in huge pain, but no one from PCB contacted me, says Junaid Khan on World Cup snub
Pakistani pacer Junaid Khan has opened up on his 'silent protest' post his exclusion from the 15-member squad of the World Cup, revealing that he received no intimation from the PCB. Junaid had earlier posted a picture on Twitter with his mouth taped after he was overlooked for the World Cup.
Pakistani left-arm pacer Junaid Khan has finally opened up on his infamous "protest" after his omission from the squad for the 2019 World Cup, which saw him post a picture on Twitter with his mouth taped, almost pictorially indicating that he had "no words to say". Junaid, who played the ODIs against Australia and England in lead up to the World Cup, was expected to be named in the squad, but was astonishingly overlooked in favor of Wahab Riaz.
Speaking about the incident, Junaid has revealed that he was deeply frustrated with the way he was treated by PCB officials, and also said that he was not contacted by anyone post his snub. He then went on to state that he took down the picture as a sign of respect for his fans and the country as a whole, fearing that it would defame everyone and stir hatred and controversy.
"When I was highly frustrated with the treatment rendered to me by the team management, I posted a picture of mine on social media, as a token of soft protest. I was highly let down and was in huge pain, but no one from the PCB contacted me," Junaid was quoted as saying by The Nation, reported Hindustan Times.
"A number of my fans and followers contacted me and convinced me to remove the post as it will bring bad name to the country, so I removed it. Obviously, as a Pakistani and a cricketer, I will never do something, which is against my country," he added.
The 29-year-old further went on to reveal that he had rejected several offers from County sides to fulfill his goal of making a comeback to the Pakistani team. Junaid also added that he would have ended up with more wickets had he played on the bouncy tracks of Australia and South Africa.
Furthermore, the left-arm pacer also stated that he is capable of filling the holes left by Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz, and that if given a chance, will establish himself as the go-to man with the ball up top.
"I had countless offers in England to play full-time league cricket, but I always put Pakistan way ahead of my personal ambitions. I always given my 100 percent and people must understand that I have played majority of my cricket on UAE, Bangladesh and Sri Lankan slow tracks; even then my performances are no secret. If I had played on bouncy tracks of Australia, South Africa or England, I could have taken loads more wickets,” he said.
"I know I can shoulder the burden and can fill the huge gap left by Aamir and Wahab, while everybody knows, Pakistan team is baldy missing a wicket-taking bowler up front, who may bamboozle any given batting order. I can assure the PCB that I am the one, who can resolve all problems and can provide wickets at the top. If provided with chances, I will never let down the team and the country,” he concluded.
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