Junaid Khan sends cryptic message to Pakistan selectors after World Cup axe

Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz have been included in the 15-man group despite the seamer being named in the provisional squad

Junaid Khan has taken to Twitter to react to his omission from the Pakistan squad for the World Cup.

Despite being included in the 15-man provisional squad the 29-year-old has been dropped, with Mohammad Amir selected and Wahab Riaz brought in from the international wilderness for the tournament which starts on May 30.

Key to Khan being overlooked was his indifferent displays during his two outings in the five-match one-day series against England, which Pakistan lost 4-0.

In Bristol, he finished with figures of 1-57 while at Trent Bridge he took 1-85 as the Champions Trophy holders were put to the sword.

But the decision to leave him out has left the seamer bemused.

^{Khan performed poorly during the England series}

"I dont want to say anything," he wrote on Twitter. "Truth is bitter."

The cryptic message comes after selection committee chairman Inzamam-ul-Haq revealed that the lack of potency in the Pakistan attack, exposed during the England series, was behind the changes which also saw Abid Ali replaced by Asif Ali.

"Junaid and Faheem had been originally preferred over a few other bowlers based on their recent performances and the investment we had made on them since 2017," he said.

"They had the opportunity to cement their World Cup spots, but they were well below-par in the series against England even though they were up against the difficult challenge of bowling on placid and batsmen-friendly wickets.

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"After it became obvious that the bat is likely to dominate the ball in the World Cup, we revisited our strategy and reverted to the pace of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz.

"Furthermore, Amir and Wahab give the fast bowling attack more experience to back and support the relatively inexperienced but immensely talent Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Hasnain."

The former skipper added: "The lack of potency of our frontline bowlers in the recent ODI series against England meant that a change was needed."

I dont want to say anything. Truth is bitter. (Sach karwa hotha hai) pic.twitter.com/BsWRzu0Xbh

— Junaid khan 83 (@JunaidkhanREAL) May 20, 2019

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