Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan has been ruled out of the World Cup because of a hamstring injury. The 25-year-old failed to come through a fitness test on a problem he picked up in training before the team travelled to New Zealand last month.
“Junaid has been found not fit to play in the World Cup,” said a Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman. Junaid has emerged as one of Pakistan’s leading pacemen with 65 Test wickets and 75 in 48 one-day internationals. “It is very disappointing to miss out on such a major event but I don’t want to let anyone down and can’t play without being 100% fit,” said the player. “I tried my best to make a full recovery but I am still not comfortable while bowling.” The World Cup will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, with the competition starting on Saturday, 14 February.
