KARACHI: Former West Indies captain Daren Sammy and coach for Pakistani franchise T20 cricket team Peshawar Zalmi said on Sunday what set the Pakistan Super League (PSL) series apart from other leagues was the high quality of bowlers participating in the tournament.
Pakistan last year conferred honorary citizenship on Sammy for his “invaluable contribution” toward the return of top-flight cricket to the country.
Sammy has been a regular member of the Peshawar Zalmi side in the Pakistan Super League since the series was launched in 2016 and captained the franchise to the PSL title in the second edition in 2017. He has been a staunch advocate for the return of international cricket to Pakistan.
Pakistan did not host any international cricket for over six years after a 2009 militant attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus in Lahore.
“The difference with PSL and the different leagues I think is the quality of bowlers that are there in the tournament,” Sammy said in an interview with Arab News. “When the [PSL] tournament was played in Dubai and Sharjah you know, the quality of bowling was really, really good. Now we see here, we play on good pitches in Pakistan, it ... brings out the bowlers’ skills to play even more.”
Sammy said playing for Peshawar Zalmi felt like being part of a ‘family’ and the team had helped in identifying great new cricketing talent for Pakistan.
“Our first emerging player was Hassan Ali; in the space of two to three years he became the number one bowler in ODI [one day international] cricket,” the coach said. ”Last year we had Haider Ali, who was the emerging player; now I think he’s gonna be a really impactful batsman in the future for Pakistan within the next two to three years.”
“And Mohamed Imran, this kid is going to be some talent, you just got to watch out for him,” Sammy added. “I must say, you know, the talent that’s been displayed here in Pakistan, the young emerging talent, especially in the fast-bowling department has just been amazing.
“You’ve seen Shaheen Shah Afridi, you know the way he’s come on,” the coach said, referring to a 20-year-old Pakistan fast bowler who in 2019, in a match against Bangladesh, became the youngest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in a World Cup match — the best bowling figures by a bowler for Pakistan in a World Cup match. Following the World Cup, the International Cricket Council named Afridi the rising star of the squad.
“So, yeah, PSL keeps on offering talent, which is also good for Pakistan,” Sammy said.
The coach said he hoped the sixth edition of PSL, postponed this month after a number of players tested positive for the coronavirus, would restart in June.
“Hopefully … every team gets the same set of players back, so we could start from where we were, [where] we left off,” Sammy said, “and you know, it could again bring some smiles in Pakistan.”
When asked if he wished to coach the Pakistan national team in the future, the 37-year-old Lucian said: “Maybe in the distant future, if the opportunity presents itself then you never know, but right now my focus is just you know, coaching for the Peshawar [team].”
‘Quality of bowlers’ sets Pakistan Super League apart from other leagues — Daren Sammy
https://arab.news/z77g3
‘Quality of bowlers’ sets Pakistan Super League apart from other leagues — Daren Sammy
- Peshawar Zalmi coach hopes postponed sixth edition of PSL will restart in June and “bring smiles again in Pakistan”
- Says playing for Zalmi is like being part of a “family,” PSL has been great at identifying new talent for Pakistan
Imran Khan’s party seeks ‘confidence-building measures’ after government’s talks offer
- PTI says access to jailed founding leader essential for talks to be considered credible
- Government says it’s ready for dialogue but nothing will happen until Khan favors the idea
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party said on Saturday it would only consider the government’s offer for talks credible if it is accompanied by “concrete confidence-building measures,” such as unhindered access to its founding leader in a high-security prison in Rawalpindi.
Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government was fully prepared to hold a dialogue with Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to address political polarization that has deepened since the downfall of the PTI administration in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022.
PTI has frequently complained about a state crackdown against its top leadership, including Khan and his wife, who are serving prison sentences in multiple cases ranging from corruption charges to inciting violence against state institutions and attacks on government properties.
Sharif’s offer for talks came amid media reports that PTI wanted a dialogue with the government, though he noted that negotiations would not be allowed to proceed on the basis of “blackmailing” or unlawful demands and would only cater to legitimate issues.
“Announcements of talks, without concrete confidence-building measures, cannot be treated as credible progress,” Azhar Leghari, PTI’s central deputy information secretary, told Arab News.
He recalled that Khan had authorized Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas to carry forward with the dialogue process, adding that talks “require trust, and trust cannot be built at the cost of constitutional rights or democratic legitimacy.”
“For dialogue to be meaningful, it is essential that these authorized representatives are allowed regular and unhindered access to Imran Khan so that any engagement accurately reflects his views and PTI’s collective position,” he added.
Khan’s family, party and legal team have complained in the past they are stopped by the authorities from meeting the ex-PM in prison. Last month, they also raised concerns about his health, prompting the officials to allow one of his sisters to meet him, who said he was fine.
Shortly thereafter, a scathing message was posted on his social media account, criticizing the army chief. Khan’s post elicited a bitter response from the government and the military amid accusations of inciting people against state institutions.
Leghari’s comments came only a day after Rana Sanaullah, adviser to Prime Minister Sharif on political affairs, said PTI’s “second- or third-tier leadership” wanted dialogue, but nothing was going to happen until Khan favored these negotiations.
He also maintained that while the government was ready for talks, “uncertainty and delays from PTI are preventing progress.”
Meanwhile, a newly formed National Dialogue Committee of former PTI leaders told Arab News it had organized a session on Wednesday, January 7, in the federal capital that will bring together all major political parties, journalists, lawyers and representatives of civil society.
“Our goal is to bring political leaders together so that, while discussing their own issues, they can collectively seek solutions to the nation’s challenges,” Mahmood Baqi Moulvi, a Pakistani politician and member of the committee, said.
“The initiative also builds on previous efforts, including a letter to the prime minister requesting confidence-building measures to enable talks with PTI,” he added.
The National Dialogue Committee had urged the government in the letter to grant parole to jailed party figures in Lahore, including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Dr. Yasmin Rashid, describing the move as vital for building trust ahead of negotiations.
It had also maintained such a step “would not only create an extremely positive, conducive, and trust-filled environment for the negotiations but would also lay a strong foundation for restoring mutual confidence among all stakeholders.”
While the government has also offered dialogue in the past, PTI leaders have conditioned participation on substantive measures, including what they describe as an end to politically motivated prosecutions and arrests, restoration of fundamental rights, respect for judicial independence and a credible roadmap toward free and fair elections.
“Reconciliation is possible, but it must be based on correcting injustices rather than managing optics,” Leghari said. “A genuine reset requires restoring respect for the Constitution, ending political victimization and allowing democratic processes to function without interference.”
Rana Sanaullah and Deputy Law Minister Barrister Aqeel Malik did not respond to requests for comment.
