England’s Chris Jordan, who played a significant role for Peshawar Zalmi in their PSL title win this season, said it was a great experience to be a part of the much-awaited final at the Gaddafi Stadium in front of a packed crowd in Lahore.
“I was glad I was able to be there and experience it. I’ll be able to say I played cricket in Pakistan and won the trophy. It was a brilliant experience. It was immense and I had no idea that the passion for cricket was so great in Pakistan. The crowd in Lahore were brilliant – they really made the final,” Jordan was quoted as saying by ecb.co.uk.
The Barbados-born Jordan reflected on winning the second edition of PSL, which was staged at home for the first time since its inception in 2016.
“It was pretty surreal! Obviously from making the decision to go, we were well briefed and everything was well documented about how everything was going to run from the time we left on the plane from Dubai to the time we got back.” said Jordan.
Jordan stated he is happy with the decision he made to travel to Pakistan.
“As soon as we landed in Lahore, we were met by military guys, escorted straight onto a bus and had a 10-minute drive to the hotel with a full escort. The road was cordoned off and no-one was on the streets – it was a bit unreal!” he added.
Jordan has played 22 Twenty20 International games for England. He said it was a grand reception while adding passionate fans bring life to the game and further instill confidence among the players.
“The reception we got said it all. They cheered every single ball for both teams, from ball one to the last. Their passion for cricket was immense. You’re on the boundary and you have people chanting your name!,” Jordan revealed.
“Throughout the whole tournament we’ve really been gelling as a group and our owner Javed Afridi and the captain Darren Sammy – everyone was singing from the same hymn sheet and created a very good atmosphere in the dressing room to go out and perform,” Jordan concluded.
In six games for Zalmi, Jordan bagged eight wickets.