New pace sensation Junaid Khan, who is currently leading Abbottabad Falcons, said that his regional team sorely missed senior Younus Khan at the Faysal Bank Super-Eight T20 tournament as they crashed out of the event.

Falcons have lost both matches they have played at the event so far, which ended their chance of making it to the semi-finals. After Multan Tigers defeated Falcons by five wickets in the first match, the team faced a similar fate against Sialkot Stallions yesterday.

Batting first, Falcons could only manage 135 for nine in their 20 overs as opener Yasir Hameed made 43 off 39 with two sixes and as many boundaries while Hammad Ali made a 28-ball 30.

Raza Hasan took three wickets while Rana Naved-ul-Hasan picked up two.In reply, Stallions survived a top-order collapse as they were reduced to 18 for three before skipper Shoaib Malik and his brother Adeel Malik put on a 89-run stand as Stallions reached 141 for five in 19.2 overs. Malik made a 53-ball 68 with two sixes and five boundaries while Adeel made 36.

“Younus’ absence made a big difference,” Junaid told The Express Tribune. “He played a major role in guiding us to the Super-Eight T20 after playing crucial innings during the national T20 event. But he couldn’t come because of a family problem. We were also handicapped due to the absence of Mir Azam and Khalid Usman who got injured before the game against Stallions.”

When asked about the experience of leading his regional team, he said, “It’s a good experience and I’m learning something new everyday. Captaincy is also helping me to understand pressure.”