PSL 8: Lahore Qalandars prepared to tackle potential Rashid Khan absence
Javed believes that Qalandars have adequate backup options to deal with Khan’s absence
Lahore Qalandars Head Coach Aaqib Javed has admitted that his side will suffer due to the absence of star leg-spinner Rashid Khan during the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.
It must be noted that Afghanistan cricketers may become unavailable to their teams for brief duration during the PSL, which begins on February 13, due to potential international commitment.
However, Javed believes that Qalandars, who are the defending champions, have adequate backup options to deal with Khan’s absence.
“We will suffer due to the absence of Rashid Khan for a few matches because he is one of the best T20 bowlers in the world,” said Javed. “However, we have Sikandar Raza and Liam Dawson to cover for Rashid and reduce the impact of his absence.”
Javed also opened up about his side’s choices during the replacement draft, where franchises beefed up their squads over a conference call on Wednesday.
Ahsan Bhatti, a left-arm spin all-rounder and product of Qalandars Player Development Programme, along with England’s Sam Billings, South Africa’s Shane Dadswell and Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis were Lahore’s picks during the replacement draft on January 25.
“PSL is taking place at a time when a lot of international cricket is happening. Due to players’ international commitments, we were forced to make some change in the replacement draft but I’m confident that we have good options at our disposal,” he said.
“Kusal Mendis and Shane Dadswell are good options since we wanted to fill the gaps in our lineup rather than going for big names like Aaron Finch,” he added.
Lahore Qalandars squad
Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique, Harry Brook, Kamran Ghulam, Zaman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson, Dilbar Hussain, Mirza Tahir Baig, Ahmed Danlyal, Shawaiz Irfan, Jordan Cox, Jalat Khan, Ahsan Bhatti, Sam Billings (partial replacement for Rashid Khan), Shane Dadswell (replacement for Harry Brook), Kusal Mendis (partial replacement for Jordan Cox)
Comments