Sohail keen to keep Qalandars’ momentum going

ISLAMABAD: Lahore Qalandars will surely be the team more interested in forgetting about the past edition performances and will prefer to carry forward on what they have achieved so far in the unfinished sixth Pakistan Super League (PSL) that restarts at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi Wednesday (today).

Qalandars have never lived up to expectations in all previous five editions, a reality that their captain Sohail Akhtar wants to forget. In a virtual media talk on Tuesday, Sohail said the past has become part of history. “The past has gone. We don’t want to remember our past performance and would rather prefer to concentrate on what we have on our hands. We have got off to a good start, winning three out of four matches we played before the break. We want to carry on that performance going into the PSL remaining matches,” he added.

Sohail said that Abu Dhabi had always been a favourite hunting venue for Qalandars. “We hope to carry forward that spirit going into the remaining PSL matches. The team has gelled up well following a series of net practice sessions. Everything is in order to start from where we left off three months back,” he added.

When asked whether the break would go against Qalandars, he said, “I don’t think so. The break was for everyone not for us alone. We are in the best shape to make the impact we have been looking for.”

Sohail said every team has some strong points. “It is all about carrying forward the momentum. The team that settles down earlier will be in a better position to perform. We have six matches at our hands. We will take the League match by match,” he added.

Lahore Qalandars skipper spoke highly of ace spinner Rashid Khan. “He is No 1 bowler. His batting has also been impressive in recent times. Rashid’s inclusion in the Lahore team will be of big help for us,” he said.

He said they would miss David Wiese as he had been the mainstay for Qalandars. “We cannot fill in for him. James Faulkner is there as an all-rounder and so is Rashid Khan. Hope the two will combine in to fill in for him,” he added.

On Qalandars rivalry with Karachi Kings, he said that media gave it considerable hype. “We never thought against whom we are playing,” he added.

The Qalandars’ captain promised fans that a new and spirited Lahore would be there for everyone to see. “We promise you an all-out effort,” he said.

Sohail said he was carrying along a bunch of professional cricketers. “There is no issue of weather as we are used to playing club cricket in such weather. The foreigners also got adjusted to the weather here,” he added.

On Shaheen Afridi’s workload, Sohail said he is like a tiger. “We want to see him in action all the time. It is up to him to take a rest or decide otherwise. When we feel he is tired we will decide on giving him rest,” he said.