HYDERABAD: Dis­carded Pakistan paceman Junaid Khan on Sunday dispelled the impression that spot-fixing convict Mohammad Amir’s induction into the national outfit had eliminated his chances to make it to the national squad.

“It doesn’t matter whether Amir or anyone else is inducted into or excluded from the squad as such inductions/exclusions hardly have had an impact on one’s source of livelihood,” maintained the easy-going pacer.

Talking to reporters after claiming 1-33 in a National One-day Cup match against Fata at the Niaz Stadium, the fast bowler said: “I played for U-19 in presence of Amir. So, his inclusion or exclusion doesn’t affect anyone in the team nor does his selection stop others from making it to the team.”

Talking about the other two tainted cricketers—Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif—Junaid said that both had performed well for Wapda, adding that the former Pakistan captain had succeeded in staging a comeback to the international arena with a bang by hitting a ton in his first match in his renewed career.

“Amir has staged a comeback due to his performance,” he said, adding that Asif was also doing bowling practice in the nets.

There was always pressure on player whether it was a domestic or international event and the way Salman had performed he deserved credit for it, Junaid maintained.

Also, the fast bowler said that he had now fully recuperated from injury while stating that he had succeeded in doing away with his habit of jumping in his bowling action following tips given by seniors.

“Wasim (Akram) and Mushtaq (Ahmed) Bhai pointed out to me that my habit of jumping in my action might have led to the injury due to more exertion.

“Though now my style remains the same, I definitely have done away with that jump in my bowling action,” said the pacer.

He said that after suffering injury he was gaining rhythm. “It’s been around six months since I recovered and now I am looking forward to performing well in the A team and then PSL matches”, he said.

He said that every fast bowler needed more matches to play once he got injured. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get the required number of matches. So, I am playing domestic cricket and bowling well,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2016