It’s almost an end to Pakistan Super League (PSL) season III action which has pushed some young talented players forward, who are capable of representing Pakistan in future.
There is no doubt that the PSL has given the new adhesive approach to Pakistan’s cricket team which has shown great progress last year. The strong combination of players like Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Shadab Khan and Fakhar Zaman, has brought top-notch results for the country in recent past.
These players are comparatively more enthusiastic than the players we got in last few years. This young lot helped Pakistan to display its strong image in front of World’s cricket fraternity.
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This year too, PSL has brought some talented players into limelight including Ibtisam Sheikh (Peshawar Zalmi), Umaid Asif (Peshawar Zalmi), Sohail Akhtar (Lahore Qalandars) and Hussain Talat (Islamabad United).
On the other hand the franchises last year have done great home work at grass-root level to extract quality players from across the country.
Let’s take an example of Lahore Qalandars, who conducted talent hunt programs in all over Punjab. Prior to that, the Qalandar’s management also took the initiative to move to Azad Kashmir which has been ignored by the Pakistan cricket board (PCB) since decades. However, this time around the Lahore Qalandars has found Salman Irshad a young sensational fast bowler from the valley of Kashmir who later was sent to Australia.
Earlier Lahore also discovered Yasir Jan who has the ability to bowl with both hands. Now this time in the PSL they brought in Sohail Akhtar who is capable of being so dangerous in death overs. His knock against Karachi, where he took his team nearer to the victory line is a proof of his aggressive batting caliber.
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Peshawar Zalmi on the other hand introduced talent hunt programs in KP to find talented young players. Umaid Asif of Water and Power development authority (WAPDA), for the first time got a chance to prove his mettle. He played 54 First-Class matches scoring 1299 runs and also has 178 wickets in his account.
Umaid took (4-23) in Peshawar’s victory against Islamabad, best bowling figures so far in his T20 career. In same match 19-years-old Ibtisam also showcased his skills, grabbing four wickets. Both the bowlers shared eight wickets apiece to prevail their side over Islamabad after losing their opening match against Multan.
Islamabad has also given a proper identity to All-rounder Hussain Talat. He a couple of times in the tournament proved as cemented wall for Islamabad while batting in middle order. Hussain represented Sui Northern gas pipelines (SNGPL) in 30 first-class matches. He scored 1094 runs, while took 31 wickets.
Overall the PSL has turned into the miracle for those players who earlier were not able to exhibit their skills on higher level. The players, who were the findings of the PSL, showcased their talent in front of the whole world.
Let’s talk about the Pakistan’s rising pace-ace Hasan Ali who was the most prominent among the findings of the mega event. He marked several achievements after finding his feats in Pakistan’s ODI squad in August 2016 against England and Ireland. He made his T20i debut against England on 7 September 2016.
He then occupied first spot in ICC ODI bowlers’ ranking 2017 and was also named man-of-the-tournament the same year in Champions Trophy for taking 13 wickets.
Next come Shadab Khan who with his leg-spin not only won the hearts of the cricket fans but also inspired the cricket pundits around the world. In March 2017, he was named in Pakistan’s limited overs squad when they met West Indies. He made his T20I debut against the West Indies on 26 March 2017.
Moreover, Champions Trophy hero Fakhar Zaman who represented Lahore Qalandars in two consecutive seasons of the PSL, got fame after he smashed magnificent century against India in the final of Champions trophy (2017). The Champions trophy debutant also won the best batting performance award of the year by world’s leading cricket website, ESPNcricinfo. Fakhar made 550 and 229 runs in ODI’s and T20i’s respectively.
Rumman Raees who belongs to Karachi, but playing for Islamabad in the PSL was the turning point of his career. He found his feats in the National team against England in the Semi-final of Champions trophy (2017) and afterwards named as the permanent member of the National team.
See how this tournament has changed the lives of these cricketers who were unknown before but made their presence felt after becoming a part of it.
The PSL is a paramount platform for the talented players across from the country which will not only provide them a chance to play alongside the International stars but also pave their way in the National team hence it should go a long way in promoting cricket in Pakistan.
