Khan, 21, could make his one-day international debut Wednesday against Group A opponent Kenya after an impressive three-wicket haul against England in a warmup match last week.
Amir was banned by an ICC tribunal on Feb. 5 in a judgment that saw former captain Salman Butt suspended for 10 years and Mohammad Asif for seven years. The trio were investigated following British newspaper allegations that they bowled no-balls at prearranged times during the fourth test against England in August.
"I wish we both could have played together, but that's not the case now," Khan said of Amir.
Like Amir, Khan bowls with a fiery pace and has been looking to make his mark in major event like the World Cup. Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in this southern town could be a perfect venue for Khan to start his international career.
The stadium hosted its first ever one-day international when Sri Lanka routed Canada by 210 runs in a Group A game Sunday, but at the same venue Khan has already shown his bowling abilities. He took nine wickets in Pakistan A's loss to Sri Lanka A in a four-day first class match.
"It's a lucky ground for me, so I am happy I am here again," Khan said. "If I was given an opportunity, I will do something special again."
Khan admires former captain Imran Khan and watched videos of Pakistan's 1992 World Cup-winning captain online on www.youtube.com.
"By the time I had started cricket, Imran Khan had retired from international cricket so I used to watch videos of him on the internet," Khan said.
Imran Khan, who took 362 wickets in 88 test matches and claimed 182 dismissals from 175 ODIs, retired from international cricket in 1992 after defeating England in the World Cup final at Melbourne.
Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment