Dubai: The aura of the legendary cricketer Viv Richards’ presence and shrewd tactics of coach Moin Khan has transformed underrated Quetta Gladiators into a strong unit. Richards, despite being one of the most revered performers in world cricket, has mixed freely with the Quetta players.
When Gulf News asked Quetta skipper Sarfraz Ahmad on the impact of Richards’s presence, he said: “Viv Richards is very friendly with every team member and he has made us all feel like he has known us all for many years. It is a great opportunity for us to learn many things from him. We have got tremendous support from the support staff and Richards has interacted with the team so well that the team members have gelled very well.”
Though Richards has never playedTwenty20 cricket, Sarfraz insisted: “The kind of batting that we are playing in T20 matches these days is exactly the kind of batting that Richards used to do in his playing days. So he is seeing the same style being played now.”
By beating the formidable Islamabad United by eight wickets in the first match of the Pakistan Super League, Quetta have already sent a warning to the other teams. On the first day itself, young 21-year-old all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz of Quetta Gladiators showed that he is worthy of international cricket. One of the main purposes of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is to provide a platform for the hugely talented domestic cricketers to display their skills - and Nawaz grabbed the opportunity and emerged the match-winner against star-studded Islamabad.
Speaking after bagging the man-of-the-match for his spell of 4 for 13 with his accurate left-arm spin and unbeaten 22 runs, Nawaz said: “Sharing the dressing room with great stars, playing against the great stars and taking Shane Watson’s wicket will remain as great moments for me from this match. My aim is to play every match seriously because all teams seem very strong.”
Nawaz handled the pressure of playing against the top stars easily. “Pressure was there, it was positive. (Zulfiqar) Babar, the senior bowler, helped me out. I am an all-rounder, and I have done well in domestic cricket. I will look to prove myself here,” added Nawaz.
It was a shrewd decision by coach Moin and Safraz to bowl first after winning the toss. “One of the most important factors for today’s win was the toss, the dew factor helped us, then my bowlers bowled very well with Anwar Ali starting the first over with a maiden. Then Nawaz gave us two crucial wickets and that is how we took a grip on the match,” said Sarfraz, who believes that being under-rated doesn’t matter and that his players must deliver on the field.
“Islamabad was good on paper but all credit to my boys who have done well with the bat and ball. The way Luke Wright and Mohammad Nawaz batted, it was remarkable. Moin Khan and Ian Pont (assistant coach) have worked very hard with the players, I think our team combination is pretty good and we hope to do better every time.”
Safraz said people should not be worried about their star player Kevin Pietersen’s failure: “This is the start of the tournament. He needs time to adjust as he came in only yesterday and he is our main player for the tournament.”
