Sarfaraz Ahmed: “The unsung hero was Junaid Khan. He didn’t take many wickets, but the way he bowled throughout the tournament and the impact he had was remarkable”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed named left-arm seamer Junaid Khan as the “unsung hero” of the 2017 Champions Trophy.
Pakistan won the tournament after defeating India by 180 runs.
Junaid was the joint third-highest wicket-taker with eight wickets in four games at an average of 19.37.
Sarfaraz noted that the way the 35-year-old “bowled throughout the tournament and the impact he had was remarkable”.
“In the 2017 Champions Trophy, players like Hasan (Ali), (Mohammad) Amir, Shadab (Khan), and Fakhar (Zaman) are often mentioned, but the unsung hero was Junaid Khan. He didn’t take many wickets, but the way he bowled throughout the tournament and the impact he had was remarkable,” he was quoted as saying by TOK Sports on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan recently toured Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa before returning home to face the West Indies in a two-Test series in Multan.
The men in green are now taking on New Zealand and South Africa in an ODI tri-series.
Once the tri-series ends, Pakistan will be involved in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will take place from February 19 to March 9.
Pakistan Squad for 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah