New Delhi: Pakistan Super League (PSL 2023) is going to start on February 13 with the match between Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars. Lahore Qalandars had done exceptionally well in the previous edition of the league. The Shaheen Afridi-led team lifted the winning trophy. Before the start of this league, a statement of Lahore Qalandars’ head coach Aaqib Javed has come to the fore, in which he has linked a match to the big match played between India and Pakistan. In an exclusive interview with PCB Digital, Aaqib Javed said- When I joined the franchise in the second edition, I faced the problem of building the core team as other teams had already picked up better players in the domestic circuit. . In my first three years in charge, we faced a lot of criticism, but we realized that our strength lay in developing players. There were more backlash when we appointed Sohail Akhtar as our captain in PSL 5, but he got us through to the final.
managed to grow his core group in psl 5
The setting up for a 2022 title win was perfect for us. Choosing Shaheen Afridi as captain and winning the final in Lahore. We managed to grow our core group in PSL 5. Everyone was missing a captain and Shaheen filled that gap. When we talk about Qalandars being a family, we see that Fakhar Zaman has been with us since the second season, Shaheen entered the team as an emerging class player and now he is our captain. We got Haris Rauf through the player development program. He is now one of the top bowlers in the format.
Believes in giving opportunities to budding players
He said- We believe in giving opportunities to our budding players and making them superstars. Similarly, we are focusing on our future stars Kamran Ghulam, Abdullah Shafiq and Zaman Khan. I remember Abdullah doubting himself after he failed to perform in a few matches, but we backed him and assured him that he would play all the matches. When you give confidence to a young player, then only he can realize his true potential.
pakistan cricket collapses
Aqib said- If HBL PSL had not happened then Pakistan cricket would have collapsed. Franchises invest in the best players available in the country and the competition in PSL is fierce. Credit must be given to PSL for Shaheen Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Babar Azam and Shadab Khan.
Match between Lahore-Karachi similar to India-Pakistan
Aqib further said – The Lahore-Karachi rivalry is similar to Pakistan-India as stadiums are packed to the brim whenever these two sides face each other. There is no added pressure on the competition, rather players see it as an opportunity to perform and make a mark. We may see a different rivalry this season for Lahore Qalandars, with Babar Azam moving to Peshawar Zalmi. People would be looking forward to an exciting clash between Zalmi Kaptan and Shaheen Afridi.
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