Moeen makes his presence felt
dubai — Moeen Khan has been in the news for different reasons in the recent past. He is back in the business as the head coach of Quetta Gladiators. He is loving his new assignment and he along with Sir Vivian Richards has helped Quetta reach the final of Pakistan Super League after beating Peshawar Zalmi in a thrilling match on Friday.
While talking to Khaleej Times, the former Pakistan captain said: “Cricket has given me everything. It is only because of cricket what I am today. I have always given 100 per cent as a player and I will keep doing this until my last breath. It is an honour for me to be part of any cricketing set up. I will keep doing something for the game whether I am part of Pakistan cricketing set up or not because cricket is in my blood.”
Nobody had backed Quetta before the start of the tournament. It was the least expensive team of the PSL. “I was surprised from day one as the media labelled Quetta as underdogs. We planned the team really well as we have got some of the top foreign players. Most of the local boys have played together for their team Omar Associates. Sarfraz Ahmed’s captaincy and Sir Viv Richards’ mentoring have created a wonderful dressing room atmosphere.” Every player and captain Sarfraz has praised the coaching staff for moulding the team into a winning unit. They have chased over 200 runs and defended 133 on the same wicket and under same conditions.
“In fact, we have got a very good bunch of professional players. We haven’t done anything extraordinary to them. There was a very little time and we have just tried to provide them good atmosphere.
“Sir Viv’s presence is a great inspiration for youngsters. It is a dream come true for the boys to share the dressing room with the legend. His involvement with the team has given us a momentum,” Moeen added. Area wise Balochistan is the biggest province of Pakistan. But it is the least developed province and Quetta Gladiators’ qualifying for the final is a breath of fresh air for the people of the region.
“The credit goes to Pakistan Cricket Board for starting the PSL. It has brought Quetta on the cricketing map. The success of Quetta Gladiators will be a boost to the province. I chose local boy Bismillah Khan for our side because I have seen him playing at the domestic level. We hope to unearth many more Bismillahs from Quetta in future,” Moin concluded.