No jealousy between me and Amir, says Junaid

Pakistan fast-bowler Junaid Khan has said that there is no jealousy between him and pacer Mohammad Amir as he insists there is healthy competition between the duo.

“You can’t say its jealousy but we have a competition amongst ourselves,” Junaid said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. “Usually we look at who is having a good day with the ball, if Amir is bowling well, I try to maintain pressure and not attack and vice-versa. Even though I have not played much with Amir but if you look at our performances, it is improving day by day.”

He further stated that the reason behind their success is that they try to emulate the successful bowling pairs of the past.

“The reason behind this could be that when we play together, we bowl as a pair, just like Wasim/Waqar, Pollock/Ntini, Broad/Anderson, we have a mindset which benefits, both, the team and also the individuals,” he said.

He added: “If Amir bowls well and gets a wicket, I try and do the same as well. Just like a batting partnership, there is a bowling partnership as well. We both share our bowling strategies which help in improving our performances.”

Junaid also said that he and Amir have an advantage over Hasan Ali and Usman Khan Shinwari as they bowl with new ball.

“Both Hasan and Shinwari are good bowlers but I feel that me and Amir get more opportunities to take wickets as we bowl with the new ball,” he said.