PSL 2023: Shaheen Afridi urges defending champions Lahore Qalandars to play selflessly
No one can secure a place in the next match if he plays for himself, says skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi
February 07, 2023
Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has called upon his teammates to play for the team, which he said is like a family.
The Lahore Qalandars, one of the six franchises of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), are the defending champions. The PSL is all set to kick off its eighth edition on February 13 with the final to take place on March 19 in Lahore.
Qalandars lifted the PSL trophy last season when they thrashed Multan Sultans by 42 runs in the final.
No one should think that he can secure a place in the next match by playing for himself, Afridi told the players in a video before a practice match on Monday.
"He who gets even a single run with courage will play all the matches. No one will blame others as all the players are good. They are part of the squad," said the skipper.
Afridi asked his fellow players to consider the franchise their family and to take care of each other like brothers.
The Qalandars skipper encouraged teammates to think about winning together and moving forward "together".
"We have to be strong enough to beat any team," he said.
Afridi also stressed the importance of respecting each other, saying, "Respect each other. There is no senior or junior. All of you are the same. Shaheen is Zaman and Zaman is Shaheen."
Matches for PSL 8 will be played in Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi from February 13 till March 19.
The largest number of matches in this edition are scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi, where 11 matches will be held. Karachi and Lahore will stage nine matches each, while Multan will host five matches.
The 21 international cricketers to appear in PSL for the first time in this edition include Adil Rashid, Akeal Hosein, Izharulhaq Naveed, Josh Little for Multan Sultans; Andrew Tye, James Fuller, Matthew Wade, Tabraiz Shamsi for Karachi Kings; Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jimmy Neesham, Richard Gleeson for Peshawar Zalmi; Dwaine Pretorius, Naveen-ul-Haq, Nuwan Thushara, Odean Smith, Wanindu Hasaranga for Quetta Gladiators; Kusal Mendis and Shane Dadswell for Lahore Qalandars; and Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gus Atkinson, Tom Curran for Islamabad United.
In addition to the foreigners, the local lads aiming to make a big impression in their debut event are: Aamer Jamal (Peshawar Zalmi), Ahsan Bhatti (Lahore Qalandars), Aimal Khan (Quetta Gladiators), Arafat Minhas (Multan Sultans), Haseebullah (Peshawar Zalmi), Hassan Nawaz (Islamabad United), Irfan Khan Niazi (Karachi Kings), Mirza Tahir Baig (Lahore Qalandars), Mohammad ‘Karnal’ Zahid (Quetta Gladiators), Mohammad Sarwar Afridi (Multan Sultans), Omair Bin Yousuf (Quetta Gladiators), Saud Shakeel (Quetta Gladiators), Shawaiz Irfan (Lahore Qalandars), Sufyan Muqeem (Peshawar Zalmi) and Tayyab Tahir (Karachi Kings).
