Photo Credit: Karachi Kings
Karachi Kings’ skipper Imad Wasim, who was phenomenal with his all-round performance in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) eight stated on Sunday that he would have been happier if his team had advanced into the playoffs.
Imad, during an interview in Pitch Side after Karachi Kings’ resounding 86-run victory over Lahore Qalandars, responded to a question regarding his brilliant individual performance and stated that it did not mean much to the all-rounder.
“Look, we are paid professionals so it is our job to perform but I don’t rate individual performances much. If our team had qualified [for the playoffs] or played the final then it would be nice,” shared Imad.
“I personally think if you perform so much and yet your team does not go through then to me such performances are not beneficial. People think I played really well so yes, I did, but winning it for your team is a different thing and I’m more disappointed about that,” he continued.
The Kings’ skipper then reflected upon his team’s journey in this year’s PSL and reiterated close defeats and struggle in death bowling as the main rationales behind their shortcoming.
“As many matches we played, were all close ones, if the results were opposite, we would be second but it did not happen. We played good cricket throughout the tournament but we made some mistakes and it cost us and that’s what happens in T20 cricket,” said Imad.
“We faced difficulty in death bowling in the tournament. I think it cost us the entire season. So, it is very important. What I feel personally is that our team batted really well and everyone played with decent strike rates but again death bowling cost us,” he maintained.
Imad then pointed out the positives from his team’s progress in PSL 8 and termed the emergence of their youngsters – Qasim Akram and Irfan Khan Niazi – stood out for the team.
“I think, the way Irfan Khan Niazi came to the limelight is not easy for an emerging player. Our team’s prime goal is to play and win the playoff and the second is to give talented players to our country, who can serve the national team in future. I think Irfan Niazi and Qasim [Akram] have a lot of time to play cricket,” stated Imad.
“Secondly, the way Akhlaq played, how brilliant was when he got the chance. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t get the chance earlier since we had James Vince and Matthew Wade.
“So, such things often happen that you make chop and change but those who are your main players, you try to trust them and we did exactly that. Moreover, we do not have any regrets but yes we are saddened that we couldn’t advance in the tournament,” Imad concluded.
It is pertinent to mention that after Akhlaq and Imad’s brilliance propelled the Kings to 196/7 the Kings’ bowlers crushed the Qalandars’ batting unit to script a resounding 86-run victory.
The dominating victory over Qalandars in their final PSL 8 fixture lifted the Kings to finish in fifth spot as they finished with six points in 10 matches.
