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However, he believes he has a lot to offer the new captain Quinton de Kock

Firdose Moonda04-May-2020Faf du Plessis stepped down as South Africa’s captain after “one of the toughest seasons” of his career to concentrate on developing future leaders, an area he believes his country needs to work on. In his first media engagement since the end of the 2019-20 home summer, du Plessis explained that while he remains committed to playing in all formats, after the 1-3 Test series defeat to England, he thought the time was right for someone else to take over.Du Plessis stood down this February, after Quinton de Kock had been named ODI captain and filled in during the T20s against England as well while du Plessis was rested. Although he had indicated his intention to take South Africa to the World Cup later this year, du Plessis gave up both the T20 and Test captaincy, having averaged just 18.87 in eight innings in the Tests against England.”The season gone by is probably one of the toughest of my career because it had a lot of elements to it that wasn’t just cricket,” du Plessis said. “The team didn’t do well again and then the pressure really started pointing towards me and a lot of energy was pushed towards me. I just felt at the time that I had been fighting the good fight for the Proteas and I gave it absolutely my everything. On reflection after the Test series, I went away and that was when I thought it was the right time [to step down].”Du Plessis opted not to retire, or sign a deal to play abroad, because he believed he still had plenty to offer his successor. “I felt that with a new coaching staff they could start with someone new, but also that I have a lot of value to add to that. I thought the time is right now to fast track that process [of blooding a new captain], which is why I took the decision to step away.”Quinton de Kock took to the treble role of captaining, opening the batting and keeping wicket with relative ease•BCCI

Du Plessis ended up playing only one of the four series that de Kock led the team – a T20 rubber against Australia – but remains available for selection and intends to continue assisting both de Kock and the-yet-to-be-named Test captain. Du Plessis’ rationale is that South Africa do not have a history of mentoring leadership candidates and end up throwing new captains in at the deep end.ALSO READ: David Miller Interview: ‘I don’t have to be captain to take on a leadership role for South Africa’That is what had happened with current director of cricket Graeme Smith, who was 22 when he was appointed. Smith has indicated he may take a similar chance on the next Test captain, who may not necessarily need to have a wealth of experience to take over. Du Plessis would like that person to feel supported and have someone like himself to turn to for advice if needed.”Something that’s very much part of our culture is that we don’t ask for help too often. We want to act like we’ve got it all figured out. This is a real opportunity for us to look at that and say, ‘Ok guys, how can we grow the group?'” du Plessis said.”There are a lot of guys that are in a similar boat. They’ve maybe played a bit of cricket but are relatively young in terms of leadership in their own roles and not a lot of guys have captained a lot of games. It’s a great opportunity for three, four, five or six guys to come together and to start building themselves and each other to create a leadership group within the Proteas that will drive the culture for the next three or four years. There’s a huge opportunity there and I would like to be part of it.”At the same time, du Plessis has given up the role he enjoys most but hopes to be able to use the skills he gained as a captain to teach others. “Do I miss captaining? Of course I do. I love captaincy. It’s a part of who I am,” he said. “I’ve captained in all formats since the age of 13 and I’ve always looked at myself as a leader before a player. I enjoy that more than anything else so I will always miss it but I do think the time is right for me to move on to what will be a position of growing other leaders. This is something I have looked at as my real purpose in the next year for the Proteas – to really get stuck in and grow guys and share my experience [that] I have gained.”All that means that du Plessis intends to remain in the South African system, and the enforced break from the game as a result of the coronavirus pandemic has helped him rediscover his passion for playing. “This time away from the game has for me shown the hunger is still there. That’s a big thing for players – to really still love what they do and I do love playing for the Proteas. That’s a good positive.”

Gloucestershire pegged back after formidable start to their Bob Willis Trophy campaign

ECB Reporters Network01-Aug-2020Gloucestershire 246 for 8 (Dent 92, van Buuren 60) v Worcestershire Resilient Worcestershire staged a startling recovery to peg back neighbours and Central Group rivals Gloucestershire on the opening day of an eventful Bob Willis Trophy match at the Bristol County Ground.Chris Dent won the toss and top-scored with 92, while Graeme van Buuren made a swashbuckling 60 as Gloucestershire reached 205 for 2 to take the game by the scruff of the neck.But Worcestershire’s bowlers stuck to their task magnificently and Charlie Morris inspired a late fightback, claiming three victims in 18 balls to spark a slide in which the hosts surrendered six wickets for 38 runs in 18 overs, finishing the day on 246 for 8.Leg spinner Brett D’Oliveira and seamer Josh Tongue weighed in with two wickets apiece, while Joe Leach got in on the act as Worcestershire displayed character aplenty to bounce back in style.Playing his first competitive innings since leading his side to promotion to Division One of the County Championship 10 months earlier, Bristolian Dent was unfazed by Covid-19 restrictions and the absence of spectators, batting for four-and-a-half hours, facing 184 balls, accruing 9 fours and sharing in stands of 127 and 55 with van Buuren and George Hankins for the second and third wickets respectively.While fellow opener Miles Hammond threw caution to the wind and perished for 14 at the hands of Tongue, caught at the wicket via an inside edge in the 12th over, Gloucestershire’s captain was a model of circumspection, refusing to take risks against the new-ball bowlers Morris and Leach.When Dent finally opened his shoulders and plundered three boundaries in one over at the expense of D’Oliveira shortly before the lunch interval, it signalled a change of gear. Aided and abetted by a growing number of bad balls from Worcestershire’s ring-rusty change bowlers, the Bristolian made up ground on the dashing van Buuren and was first to reach 50.The second-wicket pair advanced their partnership to three figures in just 31 overs as runs continued to flow in the afternoon sunshine. Having survived a top-edged pull off D’Oliveira that fell between three converging fielders at mid-wicket when on 27, van Buuren made good his escape to post a 115-ball 50. The South African raised his bat to acknowledge a smattering of applause from residents in nearby flats and his team-mates on the pavilion balcony in an otherwise deserted ground.Van Buuren had scored 60 from 138 balls and accrued eight boundaries when leg spinner D’Oliveira lured him onto the front foot and yorked him with a flighted ball that dipped suddenly before clipping the top of the bails. D’Oliveira then halted Dent’s hitherto serene progress by bowling him through the gate, while Hankins, having performed the hard yards in reaching 30, chopped the ball onto his stumps to present Morris with a deserved wicket.Jack Taylor came and went without scoring, edging a Tongue delivery behind, while Morris accounted for Ryan Higgins and Tom Price in the same over as Gloucestershire’s middle and lower order folded. Leach had David Payne caught at the wicket and the home side were thereafter indebted to Gareth Roderick and Josh Shaw, who held out when it looked as though the hosts might be dismissed before the close.And all this after the strangest of days had earlier commenced with players from both sides observing a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for the victims of Covid-19 and then taking the knee to register their support for inclusivity in cricket.

White-ball visit whets appetite for next year’s Ashes as fast bowler seeks to cement T20 role

Andrew Miller02-Sep-2020After a tough summer behind closed doors, Mark Wood believes the arrival of Australia for three T20Is and three ODIs is just the challenge that the England team needs to get its juices flowing, as they gear up to take on their “biggest rivals”.Wood is one of three World Cup finalists, alongside Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer, to be included in England’s T20I squad for the first time this summer, following their involvement in the Test series against West Indies and Pakistan.And though he has endured a frustrating time on the fringes of selection, missing each of England’s last five Tests, Wood believes he’s ready to put down some markers on Australia’s batsmen, much as Mitchell Johnson famously did at a similar stage of the English summer in 2013, ahead of his soaring performances in that winter’s 5-0 whitewash.”That example, everyone still talks about how rapid he was in the one-day series and then you carry that over to the Test matches,” Wood said. “Obviously it’s a very different format, it’s a very different game but if you can start the ball rolling with a couple of players here, I’m sure they’ll be thinking about that no matter what the format.”Wood himself cited Stuart Broad’s success against David Warner last summer, whom he dismissed in seven innings out of ten in an Ashes series in which he mustered 95 runs at 9.50. Warner will be one of the batsmen back in the firing line in the coming days, although to judge by the intensity of Australia’s intra-squad practices, he and his team-mates don’t intend to dwell on that display.”When we turned up [at the Ageas Bowl] yesterday they were smashing the ball everywhere,” Wood said. “I don’t know if they were just doing it deliberately to try and scare us, but I’ll be out to try and stop that as much as I can and stop Australia winning.”Asked if the prospect of an Australia series whetted his appetite, regardless of format, Wood replied: “Without a doubt. It’s always good when you play for England, don’t get us wrong, but it is an extra incentive when you play Australia, when you play the biggest rivals.”They are desperate to beat you, you’re desperate to beat them. And it doesn’t matter if it’s the Ashes, white-ball, T20. Doesn’t matter what it is, we’ll be desperate to beat them.”Full credit to them for coming over here in uncertain times but they’ll not be just here to make up the numbers, they’ll be doing everything they can.”ALSO READ: Wood turns to wobble-seam to avoid being labelled overseas Test specialistDespite his status as a 50-over World Cup winner, Wood’s role in the T20s isn’t entirely nailed on, however, especially given a somewhat lacklustre display in South Africa in February, when he was taken at nearly 12 an over while picking up four wickets in England’s 2-1 series win.”I didn’t bowl very well in South Africa, if I’m honest,” he said. “I got smacked to every part of South Africa and the ball landed in every part of that country. I’ve got to do a lot of improvement if I want to get into that team because I didn’t do myself justice there.”I actually didn’t prepare well if I’m honest,” he added. “I went home for a week [after the Test series] and didn’t do very much, I just wanted to refresh with the family, I hadn’t seen my son in a few months and when we landed back out there we had one training day and then it was play, travel, play, travel, play.”My skills were not quite on it. I’m under a little bit of pressure here to prove that I deserve to be in the side because we’ve got a lot of depth and a lot of good bowlers. If I get the chance I’ll be trying to prove that I’ve got the skills.”In terms of his specific role, Wood recognises that a bit of subtlety will be key, whether he’s handed the new ball or asked to bowl first-change behind Jofra Archer, who is back in England’s white-ball squads for the first time since the World Cup.”I’ll still be trying to bowl as fast as I can at times,” Wood said. “You’ve got to be adaptable with slower balls and you’ve got to watch the batters a little bit more and be a little bit more on it because you’re not having three slips and a gully.”When I first started 50-over cricket, I opened the bowling for England then when Jofra played the World Cup with Woakesy opening the bowling, I went to first change and I enjoyed that role. It’s never easy bowling in Twenty20, whether you’re up front or you’re in the middle. They’re coming at you 24/7.”

The fast bowler is keen to maintain his fitness in order to play all three formats for Pakistan

Umar Farooq23-Sep-2020Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi says he aspires to grow across all formats rather than focusing on just white-ball cricket. He recently grabbed impressive figures of 6 for 19 for Hampshire in the Vitality Blast but insisted that there was a lot ahead in his career to make a name for.Afridi rose through the ranks at a time when Mohammad Amir was beginning to fade away – and eventually retired – from Test cricket. Pakistan were keen on picking fresh fast bowlers after the experienced duo of Amir and Wahab Riaz decided to focus only on white-ball cricket, as Riaz took an indefinite break from the format only to recently express a willingness to return. As a result, Pakistan ended up giving Test debuts to five fast bowlers since 2018, one of whom was Afridi, who started as an 18-year-old against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi in 2018.His short yet successful journey so far as pace spearhead has made him an automatic choice for Pakistan in every format. Over the last one year, seven out of Afridi’s 11 Tests have come on tours to South Africa, Australia and England, and he is set to lead Pakistan’s attack on the upcoming tour of New Zealand in December too. Pakistan’s fast-bowling coach Waqar Younis has been overseeing the growth of Afridi and the teenaged Naseem Shah as Test fast bowlers, while also guarding against letting them drift away from red-ball cricket.”I am focusing on all formats.” Afridi told reporters in Lahore, when asked if he finds white-ball cricket more tempting. “I am working hard, learning with every game, evolving as a fast bowler, and eventually I want to play for my country [regularly]. It’s a pride. I want to grab every opportunity to wear the Pakistan colours regardless of any format. I try my best to produce performances to help Pakistan as a team player and that’s the ambition.”The idea is to stay vigilant with my fitness and the fitter I am, more I am going to play for Pakistan in all formats. I am keeping short goals, but maintaining fitness is something that is very important because that is what my whole cricket is going to rely on. Test cricket is tough – especially in the opponent’s conditions – but I am trying to have full control over my game. So red-ball cricket is very much in the mind and it’s not going anywhere.”Shaheen Afridi wheels away in celebration•Getty Images

Afridi was in England for three straight months: first with Pakistan for the Test and T20I series against England, and then for a T20 stint with Hampshire in the Vitality Blast. He did not have a fruitful beginning for Hampshire, picking up only one wicket in his first six games, but in his final match – against Middlesex, when he took the six-for – Afridi claimed four wickets in four balls to become only the seventh men’s cricketer to achieve the feat in T20 cricket, eventually helping Hampshire end their winless streak. His figures were Hampshire’s best in T20 and his hat-trick the county’s second in the format.”I felt immense pride for the figures,” Afridi said about this performance. “Such performances make you believe that you can do it. It’s really exciting and I am enjoying it. I am thankful for the performance and happy that I became a reason to make my country proud. This might be one of the most celebrated figures in T20s and I came to know that this is the first time someone has taken six bowled [dismissals], but this isn’t it – I have long way to go. I am still on my way to discover myself and want to achieve more than this in my future.”Afridi was one of the prospects who came out of the PSL in 2018. He shot to prominence with figures of 8 for 39 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the best figures by a Pakistani bowler on first-class debut. And while at the Lahore Qalandars in the PSL, he drew the attention of the then head coach Mickey Arthur, who compared him to a young Mitchell Starc days after the 17-year old took five wickets for just four runs, the best figures in the PSL in 2018.Afridi hasn’t played a lot of domestic cricket in comparison to the PSL and international cricket, but was willing to return to domestic cricket in order to gain more experience. “I have played much of my international cricket outside Pakistan where conditions and wickets are different. But we have a full domestic season coming up and since I haven’t played much domestic [cricket] at home, it’s time [to play]. The weather is hot and pitches also stay low but then you have to give your heart out to take success out of these pitches. I am looking forward to the season and taking forward my performances.”

Sunday might tell us how smartly these two teams – of three to have never won the IPL – manage their resources

Karthik Krishnaswamy19-Sep-20206:35

Will this be Delhi Capitals’ season?

Big picture

Three of the eight current IPL franchises have never won the trophy, and two of them face off at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. To get an idea of how desperately Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab have tried to assemble a combination that could one day lift the trophy, run your eye through these names: Glenn Maxwell, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Axar Patel, Marcus Stoinis, James Neesham. They have all been part of both franchises at various points, so give yourself a pat on the back if you can say, off the top of your head, which one they currently represent.Recent results and the make-up of the two squads suggest Capitals have done a better job, so far, of forging an identity for themselves, but both teams remain incomplete in some sense, with clearly identifiable areas of strengths and weaknesses. Sunday might give us our first clues as to how smartly these two teams can manage their resources over this brave new season in a foreign land in strange times for the world at large.

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Alex Carey/Marcus Stoinis/Keemo Paul, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Sandeep Lamichhane, 11 Ishant Sharma.Kings XI Punjab: 1 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Sarfaraz Khan, 6 Mandeep Singh/Deepak Hooda, 7 K Gowtham, 8 James Neesham/Chris Jordan/Sheldon Cottrell, 9 Ravi Bishnoi/J Suchith, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Strategy punt

• He’s only faced 69 balls in a 43-match IPL career to date, but the Capitals have a reason to view Harshal Patel as more than just a specialist fast bowler. During the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Patel played the Sunil Narine role for Haryana, opening the batting and ending the tournament as its fourth-highest run-getter, with 374 at a strike rate of 165.48. Whether the Capitals are open to such a move remains to be seen, given that the bowling at IPL level is of a higher standard than some of the domestic attacks Patel tore into last year, but don’t be surprised if he’s used as a pinch-hitter at some point.
• Glenn Maxwell is available for selection thanks to the relaxed quarantine norms for the Australian and English players who have only just arrived in the UAE, and he’s fresh off playing one of the great counterattacking knocks in ODI cricket. Nicholas Pooran is in form and among the most dangerous T20 batsmen going around. Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s ability to tie batsmen up in the powerplay seems indispensable. Who, then, will Kings XI’s fourth overseas player be? There’s Chris Gayle to consider at the top of the order, but that would leave the bowling vulnerable, which leaves three likely candidates: Sheldon Cottrell brings his left-arm angle but not a lot of batting and not a lot of form from the CPL, Chris Jordan brings death-overs skills and late-overs hitting, and James Neesham strengthens the middle order considerably while not quite being a match for the other two with the ball. Kings XI could grapple with this debate right through the tournament.
• The Capitals have a similar issue in a similar position, where Marcus Stoinis (whose recent T20 successes have come at the top of the order) and Keemo Paul (a lower-order batsman rather than a genuine allrounder) are vying for the No. 6 slot alongside a wicketkeeper-batsman in Alex Carey. If Carey plays, the Capitals will be left with no sixth bowling option, with no part-time bowlers in their expected top five.
• Mujeeb usually bowls with the new ball, but Kings XI might want to hold him back considering his record against two of the Capitals’ middle-order batsmen. He has bowled 12 balls to Shimron Hetmyer in T20s, while dismissing him twice. Mujeeb has dismissed Rishabh Pant twice too, in 11 balls, while conceding 17 runs to him. Who takes the new ball in that case? Well, assuming Shikhar Dhawan opens, it could well be Maxwell. This is their head-to-head: 25 balls, 35 runs, two wickets.
• The Capitals have one of the best spin contingents in the competition, but among batsmen with at least 300 runs against that form of bowling in the IPL, Maxwell has the highest strike rate: 171. He has a superb head-to-head record against R Ashwin (107 runs off 49 balls, two dismissals), but has mixed returns against Amit Mishra, who has conceded 55 runs in 29 balls but has dismissed him four times in five meetings. If Mishra plays, expect the Capitals to bring him on as soon as Maxwell gets to the crease.

Stats that matter

• Kings XI have tended to get off to great starts in recent IPL seasons. They won four of their first five matches in 2018, and three of their first five in 2019. The Capitals, in contrast, won only one of their first five games in 2018, and only two (one via a Super Over) in 2019. Kings XI, though, fell away rapidly in both seasons and failed to make the playoffs.
• Bat first or second? It’s a tricky question in Dubai, where, in 51 T20 games since the start of 2018, teams batting first have won 25 times and chasing teams 26 times.
• The average first-innings score at the venue across those 51 matches is 152 for 7, and the average winning first-innings score is 167 for 6.
• Fast bowlers (average 22.9, SR 18.0) and spinners (23.0, 20.7) have similar wicket-taking numbers in this period, but spinners (economy rate of 6.7) have been significantly more frugal than the quicks (7.6).

CSK recovered from 43 for 7 but it wasn’t enough against a clinical Mumbai side

Saurabh Somani23-Oct-2020IPL 2020 had begun with the Chennai Super Kings surging to a five-wicket win against the Mumbai Indians. The return fixture between the two with more than two thirds of the league stage gone illustrated how divergently the tournament has gone for each side. Mumbai demolished the Super Kings by 10 wickets in 12.2 overs, having put up a clinical bowling display and followed it up with a dominant opening stand between Ishan Kishan and Quinton de Kock. Mumbai joined the Delhi Capitals and the Royal Challengers Bangalore on 14 points, but with the best net run rate to top the table.Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah wrecked the Super Kings top order after putting them in, with high-quality, accurate seam bowling. The Super Kings floundered to 3 for 4 in the third over, the second-lowest score at four wickets down in IPL history. That was only one of the lows that the Super Kings touched – and there was no coming back from a powerplay score of 24 for 5, the third-most wickets lost in a powerplay ever.Boult and Bumrah were irresistible at the top, and Mumbai didn’t even feel the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma, sitting out with a hamstring strain which gave Kieron Pollard his second game in charge in the IPL. The Super Kings had made a host of changes, bringing back Ruturaj Gaikwad and N Jagadeesan and handing Imran Tahir his first game of the tournament, but none of those bore much effect.Boult struck in his first two overs, Bumrah took two in two balls in his first over. Boult would go on to take one more powerplay wicket, and ended the Super Kings innings by getting his fourth for a career-best 4 for 18 in the IPL. Sam Curran – back to No.7 in the batting order – was the lone point of resistance for the Super Kings with a well-compiled 52, but all he could do was ensure the total went into triple figures. With Sharma absent, Mumbai sent Kishan to partner de Kock at the top and he promptly smashed the bowlers around in his 68* off 37, while de Kock played the ideal supporting role with a 37-ball 46.Powerplay pandemoniumBoult began by swinging the ball away from Gaikwad, before bringing one back in to rap him on the pads. He successfully convinced Pollard to go for the review, and the decision went the bowler’s way. Pollard gave Bumrah the new ball to share – something Bumrah has done just once before in IPL 2020 – and he promptly delivered a one-two punch. Ambati Rayudu was caught behind off the glove, the ball getting big on him after being banged in short. Jagadeesan got one in the channel that he poked at, to be gobbled up at wide slip. Boult then struck a crucial blow getting Faf du Plessis to edge behind too with feet cemented to the crease. There was a change of ends for Boult inside the powerplay, but that made no difference to his wicket-taking, with Ravindra Jadeja pulling a short ball straight to short midwicket.Trent Boult pinned down Ruturaj Gaikwad in the first over of the match•BCCI

There was nowhere to hide for the Super Kings after that burst, and the rest of the innings was about trying to salvage things and not get bowled out.Curran’s resistanceHe was back at No. 7 but found himself batting in the powerplay nonetheless. With the innings floundering, Curran opted to bat sensibly and try to bat through, reining in his naturally attacking instincts in the shortest format. He found partners who could stick around with him in Shardul Thakur and Tahir, as the Super Kings began the laborious process of padding up the score to whatever extent was possible. He picked up the boundary where possible as Pollard deployed the spinners and Nathan Coulter-Nile through the middle overs, and at the end, Tahir even ramped Bumrah for a four over the wicketkeeper, but that moment and Curran getting to fifty were the only ones that brought any cheer in the Super Kings innings.Rahul Chahar continued his good run too, getting two wickets, including that of first cousin Deepak Chahar – the first time he was bowling to Deepak in the IPL.Kishan, de Kock land devastating blowsWhat the Super Kings needed up top was tight bowling and quick wickets in the powerplay. What they got was Kishan’s flashing blade punishing any errors in line or length. de Kock was happy to play the supporting role as Kishan began blazing away from the start, deflating whatever little chance of contest was there in the match. Kishan’s first ball was crashed through the covers when Josh Hazlewood was short and wide outside off. In the fifth over, he took Deepak Chahar for 14 runs in three balls.When Tahir came on to bowl, Kishan – who had fallen to him five times earlier – showed no fear, hitting him for a six each straight back in the eighth and tenth overs. In between, he got to fifty with back-to-back sixes off Jadeja. By then, the match had become a batting exhibition for Mumbai’s openers, and a chance to swell their individual tallies while bumping up the team’s net run rate significantly too.

The coach, though, is pleased with the progress of local players like Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf

Umar Farooq18-Nov-2020Aaqib Javed, the Lahore Qalandars coach, has said that his side “misread the pitch” after they lost the final against rivals Karachi Kings on Tuesday. After Lahore opted to bat, Fakhar Zaman and Tamim Iqbal added a steady 68-run opening stand off 61 balls, but the middle-order batsmen struggled to get going on a slow track, as they managed only 134 for 7.”We misread the pitch,” Javed told ESPNcricinfo. “The idea was to bat first in a high-pressure game and set a big total to take an early advantage. But the standard of the pitch wasn’t great .. it was sticky, maybe it was the lack of heat in November or whatever but it didn’t go well. We realised the slowness of the pitch and that is why we sent [Mohammad] Hafeez ahead of Sohail Akhtar to keep the scoreboard rolling. But it just didn’t work either…everyone went for big shots.”We had our chance and did start well with the control of winning the toss but sometimes losing a toss can be a blessing in disguise and I feel Karachi went away with the advantage. In such big games, we never wanted to chase and take extra pressure but [us] batting first on a pitch that turned out to be slow gave Karachi a clear idea as a testing case.”Javed also pointed out that Babar Azam was the difference between the two teams. Azam made an unbeaten 63 – his sixth successive fifty-plus score – to secure a chase of 135 despite a late wobble.”You got to give credit to Babar the way he played and took the game away from us and he was clearly one player who made the difference,” Javed said. “Had we got him earlier, Karachi Kings could have easily struggled chasing it [135].”ALSO READ: Imad Wasim hails Dean Jones’ contribution to Karachi Kings’ maiden titleJaved, though, was pleased with how Lahore bounced back after having finished at the bottom of the table in the first four seasons. Despite the presence of high-profile players like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Brendon McCullum at different points, they couldn’t qualify for the playoffs in the first four seasons. However, this year, under Sohail Akhtar, who is uncapped at the international level, they made their maiden final.Babar Azam pulls one away•PCB/PSL

Shaheen Afridi finished as the highest wicket-taker in PSL 2020, with 17 strikes while Dilbar Hussain ended fourth on that list with 14 wickets. Four of the top-five run-getters this season were also from Lahore.”Nobody really expected us to be in the final but we played brilliantly throughout and came long way,” Javed said. “We might have lost the final but our spirits are not defeated. Our philosophy is to develop players and give something back to the system. Over the years we developed our own players and other than Hafeez all our local players – Harris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi – grew with us over the years and established [themselves] because of Lahore Qalandars.”Overall, this season, playing final is a massive rise and we had an excellent season. It’s unfair to judge us just on the basis of the final alone but we have played some exciting cricket and challenged everyone. We have managed to change history from the last four years sitting at the bottom and finishing No.2 this season. I am proud of my team making the final and raising the bar big time…It’s really great to see Fakhar Zaman, Harris Rauf, Dilbar Hussain, Shaheen Afridi growing up and their individual performances are pushing their careers ahead. I know batsmen win games and bowlers win tournaments and we had such great balance this season and had a great combination but unfortunately missed out just one mistake of misjudging the pitch.”