KARACHI: Former champions Peshawar Zalmi's skipper Darren Sammy believes that their final of the Pakistan Super League against Quetta Gladiators would be a cracker, adding they would try their level best to find ways and execute their plans well.
"Reaching final is a great achievement of the team and you know tomorrow winning the final will be what we are looking forward to. There is no pressure on us. Let's see how we execute our plans on Sunday," Sammy told a news conference on Saturday here at the National Stadium.
When asked what was his plan for the finale, he said: "Wait for tomorrow's match and see."
"I think so far the teams batting first have not been able to set a good total. In a do-or-die game, runs on the board have always proven to add pressure on the opposition chasing. It is something we have to look at," Sammy responded when asked why teams chasing a big total have struggled.
"Normally you want to win the toss and want to bowl first. So far it has been proved that batting first seems to be a better option," he said. Sammy said that Quetta were a good team to fight with.
"Quetta have played some good cricket. Zalmi, you know, have more leaders. As a captain I encourage guys to be leaders. You see Chris Jordon, Wahab Riaz, even Misbah when he plays, always talks to the bowlers. Our bowlers have been pretty well from day-one. Hasan Ali is progressing well, Wahab Riaz leading the pack, you know. he has experience. I think the things have been good. We have got some good players, not big stars but hard-working and it has made my job easier to lead the side," Sammy added.
Sammy said that Australian batsman Shane Watson had been a pain for him in the entire tournament.
"Shane Watson has been a pain for us. He is fairly experienced and is enjoying his form" Sammy said.
He rejected the notion that the PSL had been unable to produce batsmen.
"I think it is unfair to say that PSL has not produced young batsmen. I think the quality of bowling in the PSL is the best that I have seen. And you keep seeing young players evolving and that is what you want. You have seen Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi and young Musa and every year it keeps producing players. It has been difficult for batsmen to score runs because of the quality of bowling," he said.
"I have guys in the dressing rooms who have won many finals. Wahab had won the final in the Bangladesh Premier League in December. Pollard, Gordon and myself have won. We have guys who are accustomed to winning final matches," he said.
"You know this part of the world is full of excitement from the fans. It is up to the organisers to decide whether they want a complete PSL here next year. The atmosphere here is one of the best I have played in," he said.
"I am at a stage of my career where my personal performance is not a major factor for me. As a captain if you could put a team in a way when guys are improving it's always good. I can bowl but we have an amazing bowling unit. We have Wahab Riaz, who is the quickest and we have Hasan Ali. I am still shocked that Wahab is not playing for Pakistan but what I know is that Wahab-Hasan combination would be important for Pakistan," he said.
"Misbah has been very good in the dressing room. He won us a game against Lahore. You know Zalmi is not about one person and this is the beauty of this franchise," he added.
