LAHORE     -    Karachi Kings’ Head Coach Johan Botha has identified England’s James Vince as the replacement for Babar Azam ahead of the eight edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The former South Africa cricketer was the assistant coach at Karachi Kings in PSL 5, the edition when they lifted the title. It must be noted that Azam left Karachi for Peshawar Zalmi before the PSL draft last year. “Yeah, he [Babar] is one of the best cricketers in the world. I think Sharjeel [Khan] is still obviously at the top, which he has done very well over the last few years,” Botha told PCB Digital.

“We have filled Babar’s spot with James Vince, who has played really well for Multan. But, that is [Babar Azam moving to Peshawar Zalmi] obviously a big loss. He is a big player, he is a big character in the tournament and he draws big crowds into the stadium. We have tried to replace him with James Vince. Hopefully, we can substitute that – Vince has done really well when he’s played in the PSL,” he said.

Botha also said young Pakistan batter Haider Ali could hold key for the franchise in PSL 8, which begins on February 13 in Multan. “I think our biggest player and the player we probably need to get the most out of is Haider Ali. When he was with Zalmi in the first couple of years, he was excellent