PSL can become second biggest T20 league: Tamim

Batsman praises tournament, calls Zalmi one of the best franchises he played for

Peshawar Zalmi opener Tamim Iqbal believes Pakistan Super League (PSL) has the potential to grow bigger than the Big Bash League (BBL) and become the second biggest T20 tournament in the world.

Tamim, who has been a part of the Peshawar squad in the first two editions and also in the ongoing third edition, believes PSL is growing fast and will soon outrun a lot of domestic T20 leagues.

“Playing in the PSL has been a great experience for me so far,” Tamim told PakPassion. “I was lucky to have played in the first and second editions of the tournament and now I have the chance to play in PSL3 as well. I can safely say with conviction that this is a fantastic tournament and has the potential and all the hallmarks to be the second best franchise based T20 tournament in the world very soon.”

The southpaw batsman says PSL franchises treat players in a special manner which makes it a special league.

“The PSL is a very special competition and it will continue to grow into something special,” he said. “It's special due to the way it's been organized and the manner in which the franchises are looking after the players. As for Peshawar Zalmi, I am happy to say that this is amongst one of the best franchises I have played for during my career.”

On Sammy’s captaincy

Peshawar Zalmi captain Darren Sammy showed just how committed he is to the leadership task given to him when he won the match on one leg with, hitting two sixes and a four in the last seven balls, and Tamim agrees that the West Indian is unworldly.

“Sammy’s captaincy has been fantastic as he proved with his leadership abilities in the 2017 edition of the PSL and continues to do so in the current tournament as he showed the world recently in Sharjah,” said the Bangladeshi opener. “We have nothing but praise for him and the quality of his captaincy is simply outstanding."

PSL3 goals

Tamim was quite clear when asked about his goals during the PSL3; runs are all what he wants to score.

“My goal in the tournament has been very simple, which was to score runs for Peshawar Zalmi,” he said. “Unfortunately, I haven’t had that much success in the games so far but then you never know if I can get a good score to my name before the end of my stint in this year’s PSL. This is the reason I came to play in the PSL and that is the reason I was picked by the franchise. To be honest, regardless of how I perform, if I or anyone in the top-four can put up some big runs for the team then that will go a long way in helping Peshawar Zalmi win this tournament.”