Qalandars management backs McCullum despite dismal season

DUBAI: The management of PSL team Lahore Qalandars has backed the leadership of New Zealander Brendon McCullum, expressing complete faith on his selfless approach for the franchise.

A day after Brendon said he was ready to give up the captaincy if it could help the team improve, Sameen Rana—the manager and COO of Lahore Qalandars—said Brendon's contribution for the team was priceless and the management was not thinking of removing him as captain.

"Brendon is so committed to Qalandars…you all must have witnessed that he has been playing against his nature for the team. He was very disappointed after yesterday’s loss and he was hurt. He suggested that if his stepping down could make a difference then he was ready. This shows his selfless approach," said Rana after Qalandars' maiden victory in the tournament on Friday. The Qalandars manager was asked by reporters about McCullum’s statement a day earlier.

“This was a thought by Brendon. It was never our thought, and we have 100 percent faith in Brendon. His commitment, loyalty, and sincerity towards Qalandars is priceless. We are proud to have him as a captain. He changed his own natural style for the team, which is important. We never thought of removing him as captain," he added.

Rana said the win against Multan Sultans was a relief for the team, adding that while he understands that there is little chance still left for Qalandars, the team is playing for pride and for the fans who were let down by their performance.

"It's a relief for us, because the team was united and is still united. A lot of emotions are attached with this team. It was a challenging journey that tested our resolve. We understand that it is not easy to be a Qalandar," Rana said.

"Cricket is a funny game. We play for pride. The team is very connected and players were working hard for win. Unfortunately, we were unable to achieve that. We are not spoiling anyone's party but playing to give back cheerful moments to our fans. We have let our fans down, and we want to return the smiles to them,” he added.

Replying to a question, he said that the team would review the performance of everyone one PSL 2018 is over.

"We are still in the tournament. We will review performances after the tournament. We have one year after this. Winning or losing is different. We respect people's commitment to the franchise and we will see who is committed to us," he said.

Expressing his disappointment over dismissal performance by Umar Akmal, the team manager said that Akmal was his main player but he couldn't deliver in five chances.

"Umar is always an important player for us. He was our platinum player. His performance wasn't up to the mark," he said.

“We didn't bring him to the ground because sitting on the bench and not playing would have been disrespectful to him," replied Rana when asked why Akmal wasn't traveling to the ground with the team.