KARACHI: Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed on Saturday said that he has confidence in his bowling unit, hoping it will produce top performances this season of the HBL PSL which will blast into action here at the National Stadium from January 27.
“This time I have more confidence in my bowling and I have firm hope that our bowling line-up will give good performances,” Sarfaraz told a virtual news conference. “Boys have got experience. Hasnain also has become experienced and has returned from Big Bash after a fine show there. Naseem Shah has bowled superbly in the CPL, and there is the experience of Sohail Tanvir and James Faulkner. The experienced bowlers will take the youngsters along,” he said.
In the last two seasons, Gladiators did not live up to the billing. However, this time Sarfaraz hopes that a better combination will be formed provided all his resources are ready before the first game. “This time we will try to form the right combination. On paper, the team is looking good. For me as a captain it is important that all my resources are available before we play our first game in the event. It will make it easier for us to determine with which combination we are to field on the pitch,” Sarfaraz said.
Their Australian all-rounder James Faulkner will be arriving here any time soon. Their English all-rounder Luke Wood, who is in isolation, is also expected to be available for the team before they play the opener in the event.
Asked if he has no back-up for left-arm spinner Nawaz, Sarfaraz said that they have Ashir Qureshi, who bowls right-arm leg-spin and also bats and is a fine player. “In case Nawaz gets injured we have an option,” the skipper said.
“Sir Viv Richards, Gladiators’ mentor, has a huge contribution in Gladiators’ performances. Our team gets a lot of motivation from him. Yes, he was not available for us due to Covid last season. This time we also have Shahid Afridi and we will benefit from his experience,” he said.
He said that he and coach Moin Khan are on the same page and both would make every effort to guide the side to another title.
Sarfaraz said that he does not feel any problem with the action of their speedster Hasnain. “I don’t feel that there is any issue with the bowling action of Hasnain. He has joined the team and will bowl in the PSL. As a captain I am hopeful that he will be ready for the challenge,” Sarfaraz said.
Hasnain recently was reported by the umpires in Big Bash for suspect bowling action. On January 19 his action was tested at the ICC-accredited bio-mechanics lab at Lahore whose result will be released after two weeks.
He said that he will try his level best to deliver in the PSL in order to press for a seat in the national team. “Any event of domestic, whether it is PSL or any first-class game, is very important for those players who want to make a comeback in the Pakistan team. So, it’s also very important for me to deliver for my franchise,” said Sarfaraz, who has been unable to find a place in Pakistan team due to some superb performances from Mohammad Rizwan across all formats.