Moin Khan expects Sarfaraz to inspire Gladiators in HBL PSL

KARACHI: Quetta Gladiators head coach Moin Khan is optimistic that their skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed’s recent comeback in Pakistan’s side and the confidence he has regained will enable him to lead the franchise in the most effective way in HBL PSL-8 which will begin next week.

“I am quite confident that in this season he will do much better as the way he has created an impact and made a comeback in Pakistan’s team and won man-of-the-series award. Its reflection will also been seen in his captaincy during this season,” Moin said.

Sarfaraz did well in the recently held two-match Test series against New Zealand, scoring three fifties and a hundred and was named as man-of-the-series.

“He has an outstanding contribution and has also performed well as an individual and also carried the whole team along,” he said.

“Sometimes it happens that you are not in top form. There was a slight disadvantage during the two previous seasons as the way he was out of the Pakistan team and we saw that frustration. As a coach I used to guide him to get relaxed and try to get the best out of the players,” Moin said. “In the first five seasons he worked very well but during the last two seasons he was little bit frustrated and we also saw those reflections but the way he has managed a comeback is fantastic,” he was quick to add.

“He is a tremendous player and is determined. He knows how to come out of bad patch and how to play the game with dignity. And this is very important for any skipper how to carry the team. Sarfaraz is a street-smart cricketer and this is the main reason he has been carrying the captaincy right from Under-19 and the Quetta Gladiators overall winning average is quite satisfactory in his leadership.”

“My desire as a coach is to play fearless cricket. If you don’t play fearless cricket in this format so pressure will mount on you. If you score even 200 and then your bowling does not extend the desired performance so it creates pressure. So fearless cricket and clarity of mind is very important,” he said.

“During the last two years our performance was not good because we faced injuries and some players got out of the team and our combination could not be made. We also had to release key players due to PSL rules because you have to do retention and lose your key players,” he said.

“Quetta Gladiators and PSL have played an inspiring role for cricket in the region. Despite lack of facilities in that part of the country and unfavourable weather conditions in winters, there has been a spike in interest for cricket here with local talent emerging and due to the association with the Quetta Gladiators brand. In the first season, we had Bismillah Khan, and recently we have had Wahid Bangalzai and Abdul Nasir in the team, showing that Quetta Gladiators have created an impact,” he said.

“We have a close look at the conditions and try to develop a consensus when we sit together to constitute our playing XI. We even involve our owners as they are the most concerned because they are financing the whole franchise,” Moin said.