Multan Sultans newly-appointed captain Shan Masood Thursday conceded that in their opening match they will also have to weather immense crowd support their opponent Lahore Qalandars would enjoy when two teams meet at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.
However, he said he was happy for Pakistani players who would get chance for first time to play in front of a full house partisan crowds and it would be an invaluable experience for them to learn how to play in such a pressure.
Shan said Multan Sultans are the most balanced squad having depth in all departments.
“We have T20 specialists in pace attack including Sohail Tanveer and M Irafan, who has the best record in power play overs, as well as have the services of seasoned Junaid Khan. We have three leg-spinners including Shahid Afridi, Imran Tahir and Usman Qadir and have an off-spinner option in Moeen Ali. Same depth and experience is evident in batting department as well. I am quite impressed by the selection of the squad this season.”
Multan Sultans were the second last team on the table last season but Shan was not much fazed by such statistics.
“In franchise cricket, you play for one month only and past performances of the team add little to your cause. This season we have a totally different team, management and supporting staff set-up. So past performances mean nothing tin franchise cricket.”
He said Lahore Qalandars were a tough opponent and they have also coming this season with a new outlook and mind-set, so they were not considering them an easy opponent.
“There is no easy opponent in T20 league cricket and we will focus on to get a good start as a good start gives boost to your confidence for the next assignments.”
Multan Sultans captain said this season he finds a more vibrant and new Shahid Afridi who is fitter than previous edition and looks on a mission to perform and his presence in the dressing room as a player and mentor is blessing for the young players.
About tomorrow’s match Shan said weather would play major role in deciding the playing eleven as there were clouds hovering over the venue and a rain help the pacers.
However, he said on a given day only that team wins who plays better and smart cricket and such factors only affect a match’s outcome in a fractional manner.
Shan said Gaddafi Stadium pitch was on a slower side and one will have to play smartly and use the quick outfield to get adequate runs on the board.
On a question, Shan said he was really impressed with the team selections of Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi as they have selected 18 top notched players. But he said the real trick would be to reduce that talent into a winning combination of eleven players as in the end its only 11 players who play in the field.