De Villiers’ presence greatly benefits Qalandars squad: Zaman

Lahore Qalandars opener Fakhar Zaman has said that the inclusion of former South Africa captain AB de Villiers in the Lahore Qalandars’ squad is off great value to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise.

While speaking in an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Zaman said that the entire squad benefits greatly due to De Villiers’ presence and the fact that he was leading the side. Although he added that losing captain Mohammad Hafeez was a major blow.

“De Villiers is a big name player and his presence is off great value to the squad. We learn a lot for him as well” said Zaman. “Losing Hafeez is a major blow but as professionals we should be prepared to tackle such situations.”

Speaking about his role at the top of the order for his PSL franchise, Zaman said: “I try to bat as long as possible in order set a firm platform for my team at the top of the order.”

Zaman also shared his excitement about eight matches of the PSL4 taking place in Pakistan.

“We are all excited about playing in Pakistan,” he said. “We play domestic cricket in Pakistan a lot but not much of PSL which is why it is great to be part of something like this.”

The left-handed batsman was also disappointed about not performing in accordance with expectations, during the recently concluded tour of South Africa.

“Yes my performance was not up to the mark during the South Africa series but I tried my best,” he said.

Zaman was also satisfied with the preparation in leadup to the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in England and Wales.