Despite not scoring the big win in the final, Peshawar Zalmi captain Darren Sammy expressed sheer pleasure over having played in Pakistan. And when he was asked about the rumours of not playing in IPL because of his commitment to PSL, the player was staunch in his dedication to cricket only.
“I love playing here, and all over the world. This is not about India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh. I’m a professional cricketer, and I give my heart and soul wherever I go. My record speaks for itself,” he said.
The player enunciated how he hasn’t been a part of IPL for the last couple of years, which shouldn’t hold any subtext. “I enjoy coming here. The people have been amazing. All the cricket and the fun, it’s a plus for Pakistan,” he added.
Read: Gladiators dedicate PSL victory to Balochistan
Speaking of the final, the captain was asked if there was an overreliance on Kamran Akmal, being one of the highest scorers of the team. “Obviously, if you’re batting in the top five, it is your responsibility to score most of the runs. And if you’re the main bowler, you’re supposed to take the most wickets,” he explained.
“We do rely on Kamran Akmal to give us a very good start, and when he has done that, we go on to scoring big totals. It’s not everyday anyone of us comes in the last five overs and scores sixty. I thought we let the spinners settle too much in the middle of the innings, maybe we should’ve shown a bit more intent to force the captain Sarfraz to change his plans,” he further added.
However, he insisted on not taking the spotlight away from how well the team performed. “I won’t take away from the way they played, they played excellent cricket today. We just weren’t good enough for the day,” he said.
Like other players, Sammy also mentioned how there is a major difference, pitch-wise, between Dubai and Karachi. “You can see a massive difference in the scores in Dubai and those of Karachi, the pitch in Karachi has been brilliant,” he said, while also pointing out the overflowing talent in Pakistan, especially in the bowling department.
Also read: Sarfraz Ahmed in favour of seeing PSL, IPL and BPL compete
As a final word, the player put his gratitude in words. Along with thanking the team and the franchise owner, he also thanked the coaching staff, the players and the fans.
“Thanks to all my players, for the support, on and off the field. And to all the fans, for the love they keep on giving, and I intend to give back all the love,” he said.
