West Indian cricketer in awe of PSL

KARACHI: Despite being less attractive compared to its Indian rival, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has been praised by foreign cricketers as one of the most competitive leagues in the world.

In an exclusive interview with Geo News, Multan Sultans’ West Indian cricketer Johnson Charles said that he’s looking forward to scoring some runs against difficult bowling in PSL.

“I'm very excited for the tournament to start. It's one of the best tournaments right now. So, I'm really looking forward to it and to take on the challenge. And to have fun with the Multan Sultans family,” the 33-year-old cricketer from Saint Lucia said.

“It is one of the toughest tournaments in terms of facing bowlers, they have an asset of the best bowlers in the world. So as a batsman, if you can perform in this tournament, then you could count yourself as being good enough, (because the quality of bowlers in PSL, Pakistan was very difficult to score.) So, I'm definitely looking to come out and score some runs for the Multan family and also against Pakistani bowlers,” the top-order batter said while hoping for his side to defend the title.

When asked about his goals in the tournament, Charles said that he wants to be among the top scorers of the league.

“One of my goals in all tournaments is definitely, as a batsman, to be the top scorer in the league. So, that would be the number one. And I'm also looking to cash in on at least one century in a tournament, that would be a second one. I don't set too many goals. I don't aim too high, (but those are could be reachable). So, these are the two goals that I'm looking forward to,” he mentioned.

Johnson said that in the past, he had been to Pakistan for only one game in PSL and this time, he is here for the entire tournament.

Beautiful Pakistan

The West Indian cricketer said that he was looking forward to seeing the beauty of Pakistan but the pandemic has confined him to a bio-secure bubble and he’s unable to go out.

“It's disappointing that I can't really go out to see the beauty of Pakistan, that's one thing I was really looking forward to, but that's just how it is. So, we just have to do what we have to do and make the PSL successful,” he said.

Bio-secure bubble

Talking about the COVID-19 situation, he said: “It is difficult for not just us as human beings but for any organism that has to be restricted because it is just not natural. But seeing how things are going on in the world, that's how it is."

He agreed that the situation has taken a toll on the mental health of players, saying that there are players who had to leave tournaments because they just can't handle the mental pressure.

“It does put a lot of mental strain on your mind because like I said, it's just not natural for us as humans to stay confined. So, it puts load on the mental capacity of players but we have to fight it,” he expressed.

‘Rizwan is a wonderful player’

He also praised his Multan Sultans’ captain and Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and termed him a wonderful person and a wonderful player.

The player appreciated Rizwan and said: “He is just going from strength to strength. It shows when you put in hard work, what it rewards you with and I'm happy for him. I hope he does even better this year. And kudos to him for all the hard work he's put in. He's a wonderful human being. And I just want him to continue."