Asif vindicates coach Jones
dubai — Islamabad United Dean Jones stood vindicated after Asif Ali conjured a sparkling knock to lay the groundwork for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) defending champions’ narrow five-wicket win over the Karachi Kings late on Wednesday night.
The middle-order batsman stroked a magnificent 70 from just 38 balls, that was peppered with six sixes and five boundaries after United had found themselves at 47-3.
And Jones was proved right on the night after a journalist had said that Asif Ali was a good smasher but not a good finisher, a day earlier after United had lost to Multan Sultans on Tuesday night.
Jones couldn’t keep his composure when he was asked that question.
And the conversation went like this:
Reporter: Asif Ali has a problem. He’s a smasher but not a good finisher.
Jones: You are kidding, aren’t you? Are you joking?
Reporter: He’s a good smasher but not a good finisher. Jones: Next question. That’s absolutely rubbish, mate. The problem is if you actually studied the game, it’s the top three that is costing us the game, not him. Do you know the casualty rate for a guy to go in and bang in all the time? Do you actually understand that? You ask Watson, you ask AB de Villiers, you ask all those guys and they will probably tell you they might get it right once every two or once every three. It is not his fault that we messed up there tonight. You agree with that or not? Why you pickin’ on him then? You’re not getting it, are you?
You have no idea what’s going on and you will get to know at the end of the tournament why and you go: ‘Geez, I wish I didn’t say that’ because that will come out at the end of the tournament.
Asif Ali has had some notable scores of 36 not out against the Lahore Qalandars in the tournament opener, 36 against the Quetta Gladiators, and then the 70 against the Kings.