DUBAI (APP): Former West Indian captain and skipper of Peshawar Zalmi Daren Sammy has termed PSL “a good thing for Pakistan cricket” which is giving new talent to the country every season.
In an exclusive interview with Geo.tv, Sammy said that he is happy with the way his side Peshawar Zalmi has performed in the tournament and that he is confident of winning the trophy this season.
“That’s the most important thing,” Sammy said while commenting about the emergence of young talent through PSL. “When you have a T20 tournament where you mix local talent with international talent, you hope that youngsters come through. And so far a number of youngsters have come through PSL, especially [in] the fast bowling department for Pakistan,” he said.
The twice World T20 winning captain said the emergence of Hasan Ali was an example of how PSL was helping Pakistan cricket. “I remember Hasan Ali…when he came for the first time he was an emerging talent. So, a lot of talent have been unearthed in PSL and it’s a good thing for Pakistan cricket,” he said. “In all the teams, the emerging players seem to be very, very good. It’s about nurturing the talent and continuing to develop them,” he highlighted.
When asked about his advice to young cricketers in PSL, Sammy said that the key for all players was to have trust in their own skills and to be able to handle pressure.
“The key is to believe in yourself. You do the basics right, you try to get the good things cricketers do and apply it on your game,” he said. “Also important is to hold your nerves out there, especially those bowling and batting in the pressure situations. If you are able to read the scenario that the game presents to you and come out on top, it builds your confidence. At the end of the day, you must back yourself as a player and trust your skills,” the Zalmi captain stated.
Sammy said that he was happy with his side’s performance in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League and hopes that his side would successfully cross the bridge to the title this season.
“There’s always a room for improvement but look…we have got eight points from the six games we played. I think the guys are picking up at the right time and giving performance and that’s what I want from them. I’m happy with the way things are going,” he said. “We always play cricket to win. We set our goals before the tournament. First one is get to the playoffs, finish in the top two, and get to the final and win it. We play cricket matches to win games and in the end, hopefully, win tournaments.
“We are quite confident. We are taking one game at a time and when the time comes to cross bridge to the final, I hope we will be able to cross it,” the captain of Peshawar Zalmi said.
