Nawaz vows to keep delivering for Gladiators

SHARJAH:  For the second year in a row, Mohammad Nawaz has emerged as one of the biggest success stories of the HBL Pakistan Super League.

He was the surprise package of the inaugural edition last year but came with the reputation of a proven match-winner for this season. And he hasn’t disappointed Quetta Gladiators this time either.

On Tuesday night, he bounced back from a thrashing to take Quetta into the PSL final with an incredible final over. Defending six runs, he stopped Peshawar Zalmi from what seemed like a comfortable win and later announced that “you have to perform in the big matches to become a big player.”

It could have ended on a completely sour note for Nawaz, who had conceded 46 runs in his first three overs.

“There was a lot of pressure, the way the ball had been coming on to the bat and how wet it was,” Nawaz said after the match. “But our plan was to bowl the first three balls outside off and break it away,” he added in an interview with Geo News.

“I had a lot going through my mind at the time. But I was also calm, thinking I could do this.”

Nawaz agreed that his last over against Zalmi was one of the best he had bowled in his career.

“Absolutely, this is one of the best overs I have bowled. In such a big match, on this pitch, with so much dew. Especially after that kind of over I can’t help but feel pretty confident.

“This is how big players are made, when they perform in big matches like this. This is only the start of my career, but in future I hope to learn more from it and keep performing.”