James Faulkner looks forward to his return to competitive cricket

Not a long time ago, James Faulkner was being touted as a versatile all-rounder across the cricketing globe. He was the man of the final in Australia’s World Cup triumph in a man of the final. However, that seems like a distant memory as he has been going through a rough patch.

The all-rounder failed to make it to Cricket Australia’s central contract. Adding to the misery, he was even unsold during the IPL Auction. The 27-year-old had a knee injury followed by which he has struggled to keep up with his rhythm. Faulkner spoke about his upcoming commitments and also praised Kaul and Mustafizur’s bowling in the IPL.

My knee is much better, looking forward to representing Lancashire

Ever since the knee injury, Faulkner has been struggling with his line and length. However, with some time of action, the all-rounder certainly seems rejuvenated. He looked forward to showing his mettle in the Natwest T20 Blast and was confident about coming up with splendid performances.

“I wasn’t getting any break at all. It takes a toll on your body. It might be a blessing in disguise that I have had this time, just to get everything all right and to play the game, and enjoy, and have good performances up. My next commitment to playing is with Lancashire, in the T20 format, in July 2018. I have got a couple of years with them. My knee is as good as it has ever been.” He told as quoted by SportsStar.

Kaul and Mustafizur have been impressive

At his prime, Faulkner has been known for his death bowling. His slower balls have been quite effective. In spite of not being a part of the IPL, he’s not missing watching any action. The left arm bowler was particularly impressed by the use of knuckleballs by Siddharth Kaul.

“I have actually liked the knuckleball from Kaul. He uses it effectively. He has got some pace as well. Uses the short ball well. He has definitely grabbed my attention. Obviously, Mustafizur Rahman has got a very good slower ball. He is still finding his feet, but he is a class player. They are probably the top two pacers who have grabbed my attention,” he said.

If the batsmen have been unorthodox with their style, the bowlers too haven’t been left behind. The variations have been propping up in large numbers. Faulkner described how it was getting difficult to trick the batsman and more variations would continue to evolve.

“I am not too sure how many more variations will come in the future. Bowlers will try, no doubt, because the batsmen have access to areas of the ground like never before. Batsmen are batting like 360. So, it’s very hard to tick and fool them, especially with the power of the batsmen towards the back-end,” he said according to Sportstar.

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