Monitoring Desk
LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars coach Aaqib Javed believes Abu Dhabi-leg gives his franchise the best chance of winning the maiden PSL title as it is the favourite ground of their captain Sohail Akhtar and suits their bowling attack.
While speaking to Cricket Pakistan in an exclusive interview, Aaqib said that Akhtar’s experience of playing in Abu Dhabi in various competitions will give them an edge.
“I have high hopes from Sohail. Abu Dhabi is his favourite ground. He was the highest run-getter in T10 competition in Abu Dhabi. He was the best batsman in Abu Dhabi Cup as well. This ground suits his batting. So, I think Qalandars have the best chance till date to win the title in Abu Dhabi conditions,” said Aaqib.
“The return of Rashid Khan is also encouraging. We have Haris [Rauf], Shaheen [Afridi], Dilbar [Hussain] and [Ahmed] Daniyal, who all can touch 150 kph in speed. They also have variations. I don’t think any team in any league has bowlers like that. I think it is a proper international bowling attack,” he added.
Aaqib also revealed the reason for opting for Akhtar as a captain instead of a high profile name.
“You have to pick the individual who is best for your team as captain. Nine out of the 18 people in our squad started their journey with Qalandars. It includes players like Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen, Dilbar, Haris, Daniyal, Maaz Khan and others. Sohail also started his journey with them, so he knows them inside out and knows how to use their skills and make best use of them,” he said.
“Sohail’s own performance is pretty good. He has maintained an average of 30 and a strike of 130 plus. Sohail Akhtar is a silent operator and his performance often goes unnoticed. Whereas, if Fakhar or Mohammad Hafeez score, it makes the headlines. He is very effective and has performed as a captain. We won the Abu Dhabi Cup under him and also reached the final last year,” he concluded.
Will be easy for Hafeez to perform in Abu Dhabi: Aaqib
Lahore Qalandars coach Aaqib Javed believes that veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez will find it easy to perform on the batting tracks of Abu Dhabi in the upcoming Pakistan Super League matches. Hafeez had a poor run in the recent Africa tour where he could only muster a total of 65 runs in five innings, with 32 being his highest in an inning.
While speaking to Cricket Pakistan in an exclusive interview, Aaqib said that pitches in Zimbabwe didn’t allow Hafeez to play his natural game and he is hoping for an improved show in Abu Dhabi. “It will be very easy for Hafeez to perform on the flat and batting pitches of Abu Dhabi. We are hopeful of him performing with the bat,” Aaqib said.
“Anyone can have one or two bad games but Hafeez has improved his batting for last two years. The good thing is a person is trying to improve his batting even at the age of 40. He has increased his range of shots and power. Pitches in Zimbabwe and South Africa were not that batting friendly. Ball wasn’t coming on to the bat in Zimbabwe, which is important for a stroke maker,” he added. Hafeez scored a total of 181 runs in the four innings he played in Karachi-leg of PSL 6, which included 2 fifties.
