da winzada777： Two of the fresh faces in Pakistan’s World Cup squad – Ahmed Shehzad and Junaid Khan – have toured Sri Lanka before and are hoping that will help them make an impact
da brwin： Osman Samiuddin in Hambantota22-Feb-2011Pakistan may have brought some new talent to parade at the World Cup, but two men who could make a name for themselves, arrive with knowledge of conditions in Sri Lanka, where they play all their group matches.Opener Ahmed Shehzad and fast bowler Junaid Khan – who has yet to play an international – are expected to have an impact for Pakistan through the tournament. Big things especially are expected from the feisty, confident Shehzad, a young man not afraid to play his shots.Shehzad debuted for Pakistan in the 2009 one-day series against Australia, after working his way through the Under-19 and A team set-ups. The brief blossoming of Salman Butt meant that Shehzad didn’t return until the recent tour of New Zealand. A Twenty20 international half-century and a classy one-day century brought him to Sri Lanka in good form and he built on it with a century in the warm-up game against Bangladesh in Dhaka.”My form is really good at the moment and I hope to carry it on,” he said after practice on Monday, ahead of Pakistan’s opening game against Kenya on Wednesday, in Hambantota. “Cricket is a funny game and if you stop working hard, then it leaves you. But we’re working hard with Vicky [coach Waqar Younis] and Inti [manager Intikhab Alam]. Shahdi [Afridi] is really backing us, and he shares his experience with us, so there’s lots of things to learn from them.”Shehzad toured Sri Lanka in the summer of 2009 with Pakistan A and, in five limited-overs games, scored a 96-ball 130, 39 and 91 against an attack that included Lasith Malinga, Thisara Perera and Farveez Maharoof. He scored a couple of fifties in the two unofficial Tests as well, form that has left him confident ahead of the biggest tournament in the game.”I’ve been here with the Under-19 and A sides and performed against strong Sri Lankan attacks including Malinga and others. I have that experience and hope to use it this time as well. I just want to score against whichever team I play against and help the side win.”The only player in the squad with experience of playing at the new stadium in Hambantota is Junaid. As part of Pakistan’s A side, he played an unofficial Test here in 2010, notching up match figures of 9 for 83, despite losing a low-scoring match.Junaid was a late replacement for fellow left-armer Sohail Tanvir, just reward for a couple of seasons spent on the fringes of Pakistan selection. “It’s a lucky ground for me for that match and another against Sri Lanka’s Champions League team, against whom I took five wickets,” he said.Junaid emerged on the junior level at the same time as Mohammad Amir, though he is a vastly different bowler. Wasim Akram has helped him during several pace camps, but it is the other Khan, Imran, who he looks up to. “Wasim helped me out there quite a bit with tips and is obviously an influence but when I started cricket I used to watch Imran Khan videos on Youtube.”Junaid played in the warm-up loss to England in Dhaka, taking three wickets. Depending on the conditions – and given that Shoaib Akhtar is not yet fully fit – he is likely to form part of the pace attack alongside Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz.
