Peshawar Zalmi Head Coach Daren Sammy has showered praise on the franchise’s skipper Babar Azam ahead of the eight edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The former West Indies captain believes that Azam is one of the best players in the world.
“It is a pleasure to have him on board in the Zalmi camp. Babar in the dressing room is a great thing to have. He is one of the best batters in the world,” Sammy told PCB Digital.
“I always tell people I do not see myself as a coach. I call myself a tactician. You look at Babar and there is not much more you could add to his game from a technical aspect.
“My input could be from the tactical aspect in regards to the captaincy, leadership, working with men from different places. How do you manage them? How do you get a group of men to go out and perform?”
Sammy also opened up about being associated with the PSL over the years while also becoming a household name in the country.
“It has been an amazing journey. I never forget the first time I saw this number, I think +92 is the area code, it was a young Javed Afridi sending me a message and welcoming me to Zalmi team after the auction. That started the relationship and it has been a great one,” he said.
“The journey has been such that I feel like I'm at home. Zalmi will always be my home. If you cut my skin, you will see Zalmi blood coming out of it. That is how the journey has been.
“I've become a household name because of Peshawar Zalmi. It is something I will always be thankful for and the icing on the cake was being able to play a part in bringing cricket back here through the PSL.
“I remember back in 2017, when Marlon Samuels, [Dawid] Malan, Chris Jordan and myself won the cup and flew out, we said it was a small step in the right direction. To be part of something that's bigger than cricket in itself by fast tracking [the return of international cricket to Pakistan] with Australia, South Africa, England, Sri Lanka, the West Indies [coming here].
“The fans here can now watch Babar Azam score a hundred and Shaheen Shah Afridi take five wickets, it is something special. I do not think they ever saw Misbah [ul-Haq] score a Test hundred here, but it gives me joy to know I was part of something special.”
The opening ceremony of PSL 8 will be held in Multan on February 13 prior to the tournament opener between 2021 winners Multan Sultans and defending champions Lahore Qalandars; meanwhile the closing ceremony and final will be played on March 19 in Lahore, which will also host play-offs.