Learning from and playing with Pakistan players like Hafeez and Fakhar Zaman is really exciting, says Lahore Qalandars...
KARACHI: Lahore Qalandars all-rounder from Singapore, Tim David, has already won the hearts of the Qalandars fan club with his flamboyant batting for the side in the remainders of the Pakistan Super League.
The power hitter was picked by Lahore Qalandars in the replacement players draft ahead of the PSL remainders in Abu Dhabi and he has already proved picking him was a good decision.
After scoring 23 off 15 on his debut game for Lahore against Islamabad United, the 25-year-old right-handed batsman smashed 64 off 36 against Peshawar Zalmi. His heroics Thursday night turned the tables for Lahore Qalandars who, at one point, were struggling against the Zalmis.
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In an exclusive interview with Geo News, the young all-rounder said that his experience of being in PSL and playing for Lahore Qalandars has been fantastic.
“I've had a great time playing so far, we've got a really strong team at the moment and we're playing some good cricket so, I couldn't really ask them for much more,” he said.
David has represented Singapore’s national cricket team in 14 T20Is and has 558 runs at an average of 46.50 with a strike rate of 158.52. The all-rounder says that being from an associate country in the cricket world, playing PSL will allow him to learn new skills.
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“There's not many guys from associated countries getting an opportunity, but there’s some really good cricket being played at that level. It is nice for me to be able to represent some of those guys and say that cricket that's being played at the associate level is really challenging stuff and stuff that's definitely applicable and I am learning new skills that I can use. Players can use it at franchise tournament's at the highest level,” he said.
“I think the beauty of franchise cricket is that you get the opportunity to mix with players. And in this case, at Lahore Qalandars, we've got a number of great Pakistan players and to be able to learn from and play with guys like Hafeez and Fakhar Zaman is really exciting and a great experience,” the all-rounder said.
He said that ICC’s decision to allow more teams in the World Cup is a great opportunity for emerging teams and it can provide cricketers from these countries, who don’t have opportunity to play Test cricket, to mix with top players.
“It is a great opportunity for a lot of the emerging associate nations, there's some really strong teams and while they might not compete with the big test playing nations, I think those World Cups are a great opportunity for all fans of cricket to see what some of the really talented players at the associate level can do,” he said about the opportunity.
Talking about his innings against Peshawar Zalmi, the all-rounder said that he was eyeing to post a competitive total on the board and 120 was certainly not the total he had in mind.
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“I think in Twenty20 cricket, you've got to remember that you still want to set a total. So, even though we were maybe four down, we still needed to set a competitive total and 120 wasn't going to cut it. So, it's just the same thing, try and take the game on, play to your strengths. And, fortunately, I think the plan came off last night. Ben and I were able to form a good partnership and push forward in the game,” David said.
“If I could keep continuing in the same fashion and if the team keeps winning, I'd be really pleased,” he aimed.
Talking about Lahore Qalandars’ player development programme, David said that the High Performance Center is great opportunity for young cricketers in Pakistan and the talent identification process is “momentous” and big “pat on the back” for players.
“I've seen the High Performance Center in Lahore, and it looks fantastic. It's a great idea and I think it's a really good opportunity for young players in Pakistan and in Lahore to have access to those kinds of facilities and if they want to put the work in, they can end up playing in the PSL like some of the guys in Lahore Qalandars' team are,” he said.
“The guys were telling me other day about the talent identification they went through - that's a monumental effort to go through. It's a big pat on the back for players to go through that. That's really amazing,” he concluded.