We always knew the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would help move the national side forward. What we didn’t know that we’d see the difference so soon.
After two seasons of the PSL, Pakistan have already won the Champions Trophy – a tournament arguably harder to win than the World Cup.
This is despite only one match of the two seasons having been played in Pakistan. For, we always knew that PSL would be – and is – instrumental in bringing international cricket to Pakistan, and in turn motivating millions of youngsters to take up the sport, but, again, that we’d see the results so soon was unimaginable.
This isn’t just a case of the league preceding the international tournament and hence being credited with the win. The bunch of players that won us the Champions Trophy were all graduates of the Pakistan Super League.
Fakhar Zaman, the Man of the Match in the final and Pakistan’s best batsman in the tournament, starred for Lahore Qalandar over the past two seasons. Before the final Fakhar highlighted how Brendon McCullum, the Qalandar captain in the second season, taught him how to play fearlessly – and if there’s one word to describe his batting in the Champions Trophy it was just that ‘fearless’.
Hasan Ali
In fact, McCullum himself was full of praise for the youngster throughout the competition as part of the commentary team covering the event. The New Zealand legend mentoring our prodigies a year after leading his side to the ICC World Cup Down Under – isn’t that was PSL is all about?
Hasan Ali, the Man of the Tournament and the highest wicket taker in the Champions Trophy, also starred for Peshawar Zalmi after being signed as an Emerging Player ahead of the inaugural season. His form in the first season got him into the senior side after PSL 1, eventually making him the go-to bowler for Pakistan in the middle overs. He was also instrumental in Zalmi winning the PSL 2 this year.
18-year-old Shadab Khan, who became the youngest player to win an ICC ODI tournament final, was discovered in the PSL this year with Islamabad United. Shadab took two wickets in the final, and his confidence was there for all to see – and applaud – when he forced captain Sarfraz’s hand to take the review that dismissed Yuvraj Singh. Sarfraz has already played Test cricket for Pakistan and as an 18-year-old CT champion he has years of promise ahead of him.
Captain Sarfraz Ahmed himself, who now leads Pakistan’s limited-overs sides and would be the favourite to take over the Test side as well, got his senior captaincy break in the PSL as well, leading the Quetta Gladiators. Not only did Sarfraz lead the Gladiators to back to back finals, his captaincy has been lauded by greats as illustrious as Sir Viv Richards, who has worked first hand with him with the Gladiators. Pakistan now have an undisputed leader at the helm, who learns from his mistakes and rebounded masterfully after the opening defeat against India.
Sarfraz Ahmed with Viv Richards
Others who have graduated to the senior side include the likes of Rumman Raees who replaced Wahab Riaz in the tournament and helped Pakistan overwhelm the English batting in the semifinal when Mohammed Amir had to it out owing to injury.
Indian cricket team’s dominance post 2007 was founded upon the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the talents that it gave the national side. If the Champions Trophy is anything to go by, the PSL is doing the same at a much faster rate.
The PSL’s next major assignment is bringing proper international cricket back home. PSL Chairman Najam Sethi has vowed to host more matches in Pakistan at other venues, including Karachi, next season.
We now have another franchise, Multan, as well – which means more matches and more opportunities for youngsters to prove themselves and learn from the best foreign and national cricketers.
Pakistan cricket is already paying dividends of the success of the PSL. And it truly is just the start.
