Peshawar Zalmi’s skipper Darren Sammy, who is in Lahore along with his teammates for the PSL final, has said the players believe in themselves not just as a product but a family, and it has united the team and helped them deliver during the crunch moments of the game.
“I believe from day one that Peshawar Zalmi is not just a cricket brand but it is like a family and the stuff we do outside like working for Shahid Afridi foundation is really good and it unites us and makes us feel part of one family,” Sammy was quoted as saying by Dawn.com
The 33-year-old all-rounder Sammy praised fans for their overwhelming support in the crisis situation before saying they add more value to the game.
“Zalmi has a lot of fans who want us to do well, so as a team whenever we get to play we enjoy, entertain, perform and at the end of the day the results come,” Sammy added.
Experienced campaigner Sammy, who has led the West Indies to two Twenty20 World Cup wins, was handed over the captaincy for the second edition of the PSL after former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi relinquished the post.
On Friday, Zalmi overpowered Karachi Kings in the second play-off by 24 runs.
Sammy is excited to be a part of final, which is scheduled against Quetta Gladiators at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 5.
“We enjoy playing our cricket and the players we have in the dressing room are equally capable to play against any team and we believe in ourselves,” Sammy remarked.
However, the fans will miss Afridi in action on such a big occasion as he has received ten stitches after he split his webbing after attempting to catch a ball which was ferociously struck by muscular Pollard during the do-or-die game against the Kings in Dubai.
“T20 is always about executing the plans well and that’s what we do as a team,” Sammy concluded.
Earlier, after several international players had withdrawn from the PSL final in Lahore due to a security concerns, Sammy made himself available for the much-awaited clash, which is also seen as the gateway for the return of international cricket in Pakistan.