Junaid may never challenge Amir

Junaid Khan will forever be measured against the two Pakistan left-armers before him - Wasim Akram and Mohammad Amir. Hassan Cheema, writing in the News on Sunday, says that Junaid is a prisoner of his circumstance, for he was introduced to the general Pakistani public in 2011, as a replacement for Amir, a poor man's Amir. He may have established himself as a strike bowler, but the comparisons will continue.

Junaid doesn't have the obvious charisma that is associated with the Pakistani fast bowler. His run up just doesn't look Pakistan -- our greats were defined by flexibility and apparent beauty; something that Amir had. His run up, from the bunny hop to final twang of the arm seems to require effort. Amir, much like Waqar and Imran, seemed to glide to the crease, as if running on top of the blades of grass without ever touching the ground beneath. Wasim's was blur of tippy tappy steps, feet moving faster than the eye could register, until the arm too followed that definition. Junaid seems to require effort, but not the outlandish bull-in-a-china shop that Shoaib showed, but a more plebian one. Junaid looks almost South African or Australian.