junaid khan, 2013 champions trophy, pakistan cricket, pakistan cricket board, pcb, wasim akram
“PCB has also advised me to skip county offers to avoid possible injuries before the mega event scheduled in England later this year.” -Photo by AFP

KARACHI: Pakistan’s emerging paceman Junaid Khan has passed over several county offers and is solely “focused” on being super fit for the upcoming Champions Trophy.

Khan, who excelled in Pakistan’s series win against India and also had a decent tour of South Africa recently, caught the attention of English county Durham. But the left-arm fast bowler, who has already played for Lancashire, says the offers will have to wait.

“I have played for Lancashire, and recently got good offers from Durham and a few other county teams. However, my entire focus is on the Champions Trophy at the moment, hence I turned down the offers”, Khan said in an interview.

According to Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board has also advised the bowler to keep himself injury free as Pakistan faces a long lay-off between now and June, when the Champions Trophy begins.

“PCB has also advised me to skip county offers to avoid possible injuries before the mega event scheduled in England later this year,” Khan said referring to a leg injury he suffered on the tour of South Africa.

Meanwhile, the 23-year-old said he was excited at the prospect of learning a few things when legendary paceman and compatriot Wasim Akram joins Pakistan’s training camp before the Champions Trophy.

“I heard Wasim Akram will also visit the training camp and that would the best opportunity for a youngster like me to learn from the master.”

Opinion

Editorial

Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

KARACHI, with its long history of crime, is well-acquainted with the menace. For some time now, it has witnessed...
Appointment rules
06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

IT appears that, despite years of wrangling over the issue, the country’s top legal minds remain unable to decide...
Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....