Former Pakistan fast-bowler Junaid Khan has been named Pakistan U-19 bowling coach ahead of the U-19 World Cup in South Africa replacing Rehan Riaz, who pulled out of the ICC U-19 World Cup due to a family matter.
The 34-year-old has previously served as the head coach of the Islamabad Region and led the team to victory in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy and the Hanif Mohammad Cup 2023-24.
The left-arm bowler has played 107 international matches for Pakistan, taking 189 wickets. He took part in 22 test matches, 76 ODIs, and nine T20Is. Former Test all-rounder Yasir Arafat was named Pakistan Cricket Team’s High-Performance Coach.
“Former left-arm pacer Junaid Khan has been named Pakistan U19 bowling coach, following the unavailability of Rehan Riaz, who has opted out of the ICC U19 World Cup due to a family emergency,” PCB said in a statement.
In 2011, Junaid Khan made his international debut for Pakistan in all three formats of the game. He took over for Mohammad Amir, who was suspended for match-fixing. His ODI career was quite excellent, with 110 wickets in 76 matches at a strike rate of 32.4 and an economy rate of 5.36.
The left-arm pacer has dismissed the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli three times in 24 balls across five innings, conceding only three runs. He took advantage of Kohli’s weakness against the shifting ball.
The U-19 World Cup begins on January 19 and runs until February 21 in South Africa. Pakistan is in Group D with Nepal, Afghanistan, and New Zealand. The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 will feature 16 teams competing across four South African locations.
The next World Cup will be the 15th edition of the U19 men’s event, with India winning the title for the fifth time in the West Indies in 2022. The 16 teams are grouped into four groups of four, with the competition set to begin in January. There will be 41 matches, with the final being held in February.
Pakistan Support Staff for U-19 World Cup
Shoaib Mohammad (Team Manager), Mohammad Yousaf (Head Coach), Junaid Khan (Bowling Coach), Mansoor Amjad (Fielding Coach), Muhammad Masroor (Assistant Batting Coach), Umer Rashid Dar (Assistant Coach), Hafiz Naeem Ul Rasul (Team Physio), Usman Hashmi (Team Analyst) and Imran Ullah (Strength & Conditioning Coach).
