LAHORE, Pakistan: Former Pakistan Cricket Captain Zaheer Abbas on Monday said that Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a giant step forward for unearthing new talent and to provide them a platform to showcase their talent and become quality cricketers in due course of time.
“Look at the players who have been inducted in Pakistan cricket team in recent years, they are the find of PSL and got into the lime light by showing their class in their respective departments of the game during the previous editions of PSL”, he told the state-run news agency in an exclusive interview.
Zaheer Abbas, a former International Cricket Council’s President, said that pace bowlers Hasan Ali, Roman Raees, all-rounder Muhammad Nawaz, spinner Shadab Khan and batsman Fakhar Zaman were the finds of the previous editions of PSL and this year paceman Shaheen Afridi and batsmen Talat Hussain, Salman Agha have impressed with their talent.”
“There are few other promising cricketers who are part of the PSL but they are in the process of making”, he said.
“Finding talent from PSL is an un-ending process and it will strengthen our national cricket in years to come as well and by that way we will be able to find variety of players mainly in batting and bowling”, said Zaheer Abbas known as a batting run machine.
Zaheer Abbasi said that PSL is also helping the players to nourish their talent by playing alongside world’s top notch cricketers during the league matches which is adding to their confidence and also lifting the level of their game to a high level.
“With passage of time and new talent pouring in we will be having plenty of talent in our national cricket which will make our team capable of attaining desired results mainly due to the presence of young talent”, he said.
The former Pakistan Captain said that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) deserves praise for making the PSL a huge success as the event is liked by the fans across the globe and it has set certain benchmarks as far quality of cricket and thrill in the matches are concerned.
“From its first edition till now (third edition), PSL liking graph is going up, given the fact that it is being played in parts at UAE and in Pakistan and if the entire PSL is staged in Pakistan, it will be having deep rooted impact on Pakistan cricket as the players will be playing in their own backyard amid presence of foreign players”, said the former batting legend.
To a question, he said that PSL at home will be instrumental in bringing back international cricket to Pakistan and still it is playing its part in addressing this issue.
“PSL final at Lahore last year was the breakthrough in ensuring the return of international cricket to Pakistan and it was good to see World XI and then Sri Lankan team visiting the country”, he said adding that “PCB is working hard to revive international cricket and PSL is an added advantage in achieving this objective”.
