LAHORE-Peshawar Zalmi Captain Babar Azam has vowed to make a good comeback in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 and to do the best to win the PSL 8 trophy.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference held here at the PCB Headquarters here on Saturday, Babar Azam said: “We will try to play good cricket. Wewon’t focus on the previous matches but work on our shortcomings. It’s every player’s dream to win the PSL, and if we do our best, we will clinch the PSL 8 trophy.”
When asked where his positivity comes from despite getting criticism from people irrespective of his performance, he said: “You should always be positive but don’t be overconfident. I try to remain humble as I know where I have come from. I meet everyone with a smile.”
When asked about the face-off with Shaheen Shah Afridi, the batter said: “Whenever I play against Shaheen and Lahore Qalandars, I try to give my best. Everyone knows he is one of the best bowlers in Pakistan, and day by day, he is improving. It’s challenging to play against him, but you get confident that you are playing the best bowler. You get to see competition between us.”
Pakistan captain Babar said it’s different to captain a franchise team as compared to the national team because you have to manage and take along foreign players in league cricket. He also shed light on the performing youngsters in the PSL 8, saying it’sa golden opportunity for them. “This is an opportunity to learn as you share the dressing room with different players. The more cricket they play, the more they get polished and will come out on top,” he added.
Addressing the press conference, Lahore Qalandars Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said that the eighth edition of Pakistan Super League is going quite well. “Lahore Qalandars scored big totals to win the match and also lost the crucial ones. In the absence of the players selected in the draft, the substitutes have been playing well.”
Shaheen Afridi said that Abdullah Shafiq himself isa good player and his favourite too, but his health was a bit bad. “As he is improving now, he will surely be considered in the team, which needs him to make the combination better.”
When asked about Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi said that Babar Azam is a world class player and the match against his side will be very challenging and enthralling one. “There are still big matches left in this edition of the PSL. We have to take on Karachi again so we will try to produce better results and help our side win the PSL 8 trophy.”
The picturesque city of Lahore will host its first PSL 8 match today (Sunday) when Lahore Qalandars take on Peshawar Zalmi at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium at 7:00 PM. This will be the first faceoff between the two sides this edition and both are only separated by net run rate. Lahore Qalandars, the title defenders, are third on the points table with -0.050 and Peshawar Zalmi are fourth with -1.137. Both teams have won two matches each and have four points.