Team has been through hell, says Islamabad United head coach

Dean Jones says Misbah has helped team stay calm and composed amid PSL corruption scandal

Islamabad United head coach Dean Jones said on Saturday that his team is facing a tough time amid the corruption controversy which has seen two players being provisionally suspended.

Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif are supposed to be the main perpetrators in the ongoing investigation into alleged spot-fixing.

"Emotionally and physically the team has been through hell," said Jones after the loss against Lahore Qalandars. "All in all, we're trying to prepare these guys for the upcoming match and it's not been the best preparation; I'll be honest about that. The boys came here, they wanted to get out here and have some fun and play. Unfortunately it hasn't worked that way."

Meanwhile, the 55-year-old praised captain Misbahul Haq for the stability and calmness he brought into the dressing room with his mostly unseen humour.

"Misbah's always calm, cool and collected," said Jones. "He doesn't give a lot of emotion away, that's the good thing about him as not many people see the humorous side of him, but we've seen a bit of that over the past 24 hours to loosen things up. From our owners to Wasim [Akram] and our senior players, it's been a bit of a tough time but now we'll regroup and move on."

Jones also praised Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) for their vigilance and immediate action.

"Can I just say well done to the PCB? I think they have handled everything really well over the past 48 hours. We're here to keep this great game clean and we'll do everything we can to do that."

Islamabad started their PSL2 campaign with a victory against Peshawar Zalmi in the opening match of the second edition. However, Lahore’s Jason Roy played a superb, unbeaten innings on Saturday to inflict a six-wicket defeat on Islamabad.

In Sunday’s only fixture, Lahore Qalandars will take on Peshawar Zalmi.

Dean Jones was quoted by Cricbuzz