Sammy eyes second PSL T20 title as McCullum promises ‘fearless cricket’

DUBAI: Captain Darren Sammy is confident defending champions Peshawar Zalmi will be a genuine title contender at the third edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) that kicks off today.
In the opening clash of the six-team franchised-based tournament, Zalmi will take on new side Multan Sultans captained by Pakistan’s One-day specialist Shoaib Malik.
Sammy, who guided Zalmi to the title win in an exciting final at the Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore last year, yesterday said his team could be ‘unstoppable’.
“I always tell the guys that if we play the brand of cricket Peshawar Zalmi are capable of, we will be unstoppable,” Sammy, a two-time T20 World Cup champion, said ahead of his team’s opening clash.
“It is something that I am looking forward to this time also in Karachi on the 25th.  Peshawar Zalmi could be lifting the trophy for the second time. Hopefully we have more reason to celebrate,” he added.
“We have to control what we can address on the pitch. We have to make sure we prepare right and we go out an execute right. We are not afraid of anybody but we respect every single team in the tournament but once Peshawar steps on the pitch, you will see the yellow army coming at you,” the tall West Indies all-rounder said in a team video.
Sammy said going to Lahore last year for the PSL final was a memorable experience that showed him how much cricket is loved in Pakistan.
“I feel great to be part of a set-up to bring cricket back to Pakistan. I will cherish it. It showed what I stressed on earlier that Peshawar Zalmi is a family,” Sammy said.
“To see Chris Jordan, Marlon Samuels and David Malan appear in the PSL final was great. Malan, after the PSL, went on to play for England in the (recent) Ashes. That’s something to cherish. We were at the Gaddafi Stadium (last March) and it was an amazing atmosphere. The people embraced us. It’s been an amazing journey,” Sammy recalled.
“To top it up with the (PSL) trophy was an amazing experience. You see the pictures from the final going around. You saw how exciting and how happy everyone was,” Sammy said.
Sammy said he cherishes his relationship with fans in Pakistan.
“There is no secret about it. Pakistani people love me and I love them back. My role is to continue to entertain. We have to make sure we play a brand of cricket that will make the fans us follow and love us more,” Sammy said.
Captain Brendon McCullum said Lahore Qalandars would be no pushovers in the third edition of the PSL. In the last two seasons, Qalandars could not qualify for the play-offs of the hugely popular T20 tournament.
“I am looking forward to it and hopefully we will play well and we will do our absolute best. We will play selfless cricket. We will play fearless cricket. We hope we can make our fans proud this year,” McCullum said in an official team video.
“It’s great to back in the PSL. It’s my second time here but obviously it is the third edition. It’s great to be back with all the Qalandar boys. I think we have made some very, very good signings in the off-season. I am incredibly comfortable with the team we’ve got,” the former New Zealand opening batsman said.
“We’ve had a couple of disappointing years but this is the year we can stand up and really show the skills we have and the talent that we possess. We have to try and put it all together on the field for the people pf Lahore and those who support us around the world.  
“I am very, very pleased to be leading the team again. I’ve got a trusted ally next to me in Fakhar (Zaman) which is fantastic. He is young. He will do great things. He is a leader as well. It is fantastic to have him alongside. We work closely together.
“Aaqib Javed the head coach has also worked a lot with the boys. He has been very prominent with the Qalandar brand from the get-go of PSL. He does wonderful things 12 months a year. To have him at the helm is great along with the other support staff is also awesome. It is going to be a really cool year for us.
“Your country is always amazing. The development and emergence of young talent is why we have PSL. We have made changes during the off-season. We have some superstars in the making. We will play an attractive brand of cricket,” McCullum said.
Islamabad United skipper Misbah Ul Haq said at the trophy unveiling ceremony: “We have a great bunch of players who have international experience and they know how to take the young players with them. We won the first tournament and it was an honour to be part of that team. We have enjoyed the competition for the last two years and with experience all the teams are improving. The competition is getting tougher.”
Waqar Younis, the bowling coach of Islamabad United, said: “Islamabad United did really great over the last two years, winning the inaugural edition. Bringing on the younger lot and working with them has been a great process. Players like Shadab Khan and Ruman Raees, they have gone on to play for Pakistan. These two have been improving every day. They provided so much energy to the team and that’s why I wanted to be part of this team. These two will play for long.”
Younis added: “We have great balance in the squad. We want to win plus we want to get young players for the national squad. Alex Hales and JP Duminy are excited to be with us. Hales is one of the top batsmen in the world. They know how to play on these kind of pitches. Duminy will stabilise the middle order.
“These are good signs for Islamabad United. We can clearly make a balanced outfit for the PSL games. We have also signed up Faheem Ashraf and then we will have Andre Russell. We have a good team. This a brand of cricket for young legs and we have plenty of young players.”
Malik, skipper of Multan Sultans, endorsed Younis’ viewpoint when he said: “When PSL happens we see a lot of young players knocking on the doors of international cricket. That is a great sign. “
Pakistan’s national team wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, who will lead Quetta Gladiators, said: “I hope we will play better than the last two editions. We have played two finals and we hope we reach the third one as well.”  
New skipper of Karachi Kings Imad Wasim, who is Pakistan’s premier left-arm spinner, said: “PSL is allowing us to showcase our young talent. I hope we get to see some more young players.”
The final will be held on March 25 in Karachi where the National Stadium has undergone large-scale renovation.