PSL 2021: 'We will pick up where we left off,' says Lahore Qalandars' Sohail Akhtar

• “We are in good shape and have got all the ingredients required for a successful T20 side," Sohail Akhtar says.
• The availability of Rashid Khan is a plus point for us, says the skipper.
• Qalandars were in good form earlier in March and had got 6 points after three of its four matches.

KARACHI: Lahore Qalandars' skipper Sohail Akhtar said Wednesday he is confident of continuing the momentum when his side will return for the remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in the UAE.

“We will pick up where we left off,” he responded when asked about his targets in PSL remainders.

Qalandars were in good form earlier in March and had got six points after three of its four matches before the league was stopped due to the coronavirus outbreak within the league’s bio-secure bubble as multiple players were tested positive for COVID-19.

The halt, Akhtar feels, won’t dent Qalandars’ smooth sailing.

“We are in good shape and have got all the ingredients required for a successful T20 side. Usually, sides with good bowling action do well in leagues around the world and we have the best bowling attack, we also have good batsmen,” the captain said.

Availability of Rashid Khan a plus point

“The availability of Rashid Khan is a plus point for us, he’s a top player and his presence makes our bowling line stronger that already had services of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Dilber Hussain,” he added.

Akhtar said his side would surely miss “regular Qalandars” Samit Patel and David Weise in these matches but believed that replacement is good enough to fill the void.

“Rashid and Faulkner are good options for us to empower our lower middle order,” he said.

'We won’t let our fans down'

“Fakhar and Hafeez bring batting experience to our side, and I am hopeful that they’ll continue to do what they’re known for doing in the next few days,” Akhtar hoped.

“We won’t let our fans down,” he promised.

Responding to a question, Akhtar said he’s not worried about the warm weather of UAE in June, and being a professional cricketer feels that one shouldn’t worry about weather and be prepared for everything.

“We have played a lot of cricket back home in such conditions. I am not thinking too much about it,” he added.