Fourth time the charm for Quetta Gladiators? Sarfaraz eyes Karachi final

By
Faizan Lakhani

DUBAI: Quetta Gladiators are probably the unluckiest team in the Pakistan Super League. They have been within minutes’ reach of the trophy but fallen just short.

The fourth time, however, could be the charm, and their captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is confident of taking his team all the way to the final in Karachi, his hometown.

“We are very excited for the tournament. We have a great combination of players and we are confident. The key would be to have momentum and to ride the momentum all the way to the final,” Sarfaraz told Geo on the sidelines of his team’s practice session in Dubai.

Most of the squad is in Dubai already, while the foreign cricketers would be joining from Wednesday, Sarfaraz said.

According to the skipper, Quetta have a great combination in Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal.

“They are good T20 players,” he asserted, and when asked if he has ever had difficulty managing Umar Akmal, Sarfaraz replied in the negative.

“I have no issues with anyone. We will all try to perform our best, and get the best out of all the players.”

Sarfaraz said all the foreign players have agreed to visit Pakistan for the latter part of the league, except Shane Watson.

“He should think about it too. Last year the foreign players visited Pakistan. For the World XI series as well, some great names came here. I’d like to say to Watson that he should come to Pakistan too.”

About how the teams stack up against each other, Sarfaraz said all the six teams are tough.

“Every year the teams improve. Every team has tried to pick the best players.”