Shaheen Afridi credits ‘great team work’ for Lahore Qalandars PSL victory
Lahore: After the Lahore Qalandar, unusual… Pakistan Super League (PSL) victory over Multan Sultans, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attributed his team’s streak of victories to great success and great teamwork.
“We kept our nerve and won in the end” Eagle Commenting after the Qalandars’ win late on Saturday night.
In a nerve-wracking PSL final, the Afridi-led side beat Sultans by one run at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to become the first team to successfully defend their title and take home the trophy.
Shaheen said that the final turned out to be very interesting, as both teams competed well and were confident of victory.
“Multan Played quite well but as David Wiese gave the early breakthrough, Rashid responded at the right time.” Afridi said and spoke about his intention to always perform in a tough time for his team which happened during the final match of the tournament.
The skipper added that he hit the best shots when his team needed it most and kept the right length to get wickets later on.
He further credited his match performance to his parents and their prayers, and acknowledged the support of the team management.
“We got off to a good start. But there are always turning points. We had a lot of options with the ball — 8 or 9 options,” Shaheen said.
He also credited Zaman Khan for keeping his nerves under pressure.
“Credit to Zaman the way he finished it. The message for the team was that one wicket will bring us back.”
Meanwhile, the captain of the losing team Mohammad Rizwan He said that he planned to maintain the run rate from the start and he was successful in his plan but Rashid Khan brought the Qalandars back into the game.
“Rashid Khan took two wickets and took the match away. We were in the game till the 19th over. Khushdal and Abbas performed brilliantly but winning and losing is part of the game.
“The way we were going it looked like we would get there easily. But his bowling did what he is famous for. That’s cricket, it happens,” he said.
Qalandar’s fast bowler Zaman Khan said that his heart was beating in the last over.
“My captain gave me a lot of confidence and he told me to try my best and not be afraid of failure. I knew the batsmen were expecting yorkers so I bowled some slow balls as well. Credit goes to our management who give us a free hand and back us to give 100 per cent on the field,” said Zaman.