Tait feels Peshawar Zalmi’s squad is very well balanced and that they are favourites to lift the title. PHOTO: AFP
Zalmi boast a star-studded squad with the likes of Pakistan T20I skipper Shahid Afridi, West Indies’ Darren Sammy and Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal among their ranks, along with household Pakistani names such as Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz and Kamran Akmal.
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Tait feels their overall squad is very well balanced and Peshawar’s youngsters have the opportunity to learn from seriously-talented players who have proven their mettle around the globe. “Peshawar are good enough to win the PSL as there are several leaders in the dressing room,” Tait told The Express Tribune in an exclusive interview. “There is Afridi, who is an experienced player and captain, then there is Sammy, Hafeez and myself; so we’ve got a very good balance of young and senior players.”
The 32-year-old was recently called up by Australia to play against India after impressing in the Big Bash League (BBL). However, his performances for Australia were underwhelming by his own admissions.
“I’m not sure about being selected for the World T20 now, as I didn’t bowl well in the couple of matches I played against India,” he said. “I had a reasonable BBL and hopefully I would be able to show that form in the PSL as well. It’s a privilege to be picked and I would be happy if I can play a part in helping Pakistan cricket and their younger generation.”
Dealing with injuries
Tait’s career has been hampered by injuries, and the 32-year-old admits that the only way he can continue to bowl at seriously fast speeds of over 150km/h is by playing very little cricket.
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Despite being one of the fastest bowlers of all time, Tait has only three Tests, 35 ODIs and 21 T20Is to his name.
“My body didn’t help out too much,” he said, when asked about his international career. “It would have been nice to play more Test cricket as well as ODIs, but I still represented Australia in all three formats and I’m happy about that.”
Tait believes hosts India are favourites for the upcoming World T20 but also feels that Australia can do well if they play spin well.
Protect fast-bowlers
With the fixture list getting more and more congested, Tait believes teams need to manage the workload of pacers, or risk burnout and injuries.
While he feels that there are still some genuine quicks around, they need to bowl less in order to keep fit.
“Australia have three or four pacers who can bowl at 150ks, while there are some others around the world as well,” he said. “But pacers are definitely being over-bowled, and if that does not change, then their careers may be shortened due to injuries.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 5th, 2016.
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