DUBAI-Karachi Kings skipper Imad Wasim has said that the presence of Shahid Afridi and other experienced players has made the task of captaining Kings very easy.

Talking to The Nation, Iman said that M Aamir had minor injury and he would be fine very soon. “Winning both the matches is a very good omen for our team, but there is still a lot to ply. We have committed a lot of minor mistakes, which we will overcome well and try to give out our best in the next matches, as the competition is very tough in the third edition of the Pakistan Super League.”

Speaking about the match situation against Peshawar Zalmi, which they won by 5 wickets, the Kings skipper said: “A couple of run-outs were highly crucial, as Sammy’ run-out was turning point of the match. We bowled more than 5 overs without conceding a single run, which was quite good.”

About his individual performance, he said: “I am enjoying bowling upfront and if I didn’t manage to control runs and take wickets, even then, I am enjoying my role. The wickets should be made easier to give crowd some entertainment, but I feel bowlers also deserve some credit, as everybody feels it is very easy to hit bowlers out of the park.”

Pacer M Aamir is not fully fit, that’s why he is unable to give out his best. Imad said due to Aamir’s injury, he had to change his plans, as he had to use a part-timer Bopara to bowl two overs and in his last over, he conceded quite a few runs, but sometimes it did happen. “It is a major blow for our team to lose Amir, who is a world class player. At the moment, it is pretty hard to tell how bad the injury is. We are assessing and will update soon,” said Imad.

About Amir’s replacement, he said: “We have good players sitting in the dugout, it would not be a big problem for us. We have had planned to replace Amir and Mills during the tournament.”

Imad smashed a massive six to steer his team to an impressive victory against Zalmi. When he was reminded about that sixer and also the one which he hit against Sri Lanka to guide Pakistan a thumping win, Karachi captain said: “Absolutely, there is no comparison between both the sixes. Winning for Pakistan always gives extra feeling and I always want to deliver for my country. Hitting sixes in the leagues is also good, but playing for the country is always special and I always want to produce top class performances for my team,”

When asked whether he is enjoying his role as skipper of Kings and does he feel any extra pressure of captaincy on him, Imad said: “Actually, it is very easy when the likes of Afridi are there while there are also very experienced and cooperative players in the team, so their presence made the task of captaining the team very easy for me.”

When asked who is favourite to clinch coveted trophy, he ruled out favourites tag for any side, saying there are a lot of matches yet to be played, so for him, the PSL is still open for all, and anyone can make their way into the PSL semifinals and finals. “The two back-to-back victories are though good for us, yet we need to carve out more and more wins to brighten our chances of winning the trophy.

“Our next match is highly crucial after one-day break and we want to make it three out of three, as it will give us edge and guys will feel more comfortable. I am looking forward to play positive and aggressive cricket and win title for Kings,” Imad concluded.