Hafeez happy with team’s fighting spirit

Lahore Lions captain feels tournament is ‘wide open’ despite KKR defeat


Our Correspondent September 22, 2014
Hafeez happy with team’s fighting spirit

KARACHI: The captain of the Lahore Lions team, Muhammad Hafeez, feels his team has every chance of bouncing back from their narrow loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) match in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Speaking to the media after the match, Hafeez praised the efforts of batsmen Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal, who made 59 and 40 respectively. “Shehzad played an important innings and, Umar’s contribution was similarly vital but we were eventually let down by our poor fielding.”

The Lions seemed down and out when defending 151 as KKR openers Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir added a brisk 100 for the opening partnership.

A middle-order slump saw the Lions claim six wickets and roar back into the contest but the Indian Premier League (IPL) champions held their nerve to carve out an important win in the final over of the contest.

 

‘Lack of fielding coach hurting us’

The Lions, who qualified for the main round after defeating defending champions Mumbai Indians and Southern Express from Sri Lanka, were once again let down by their poor fielding, a predicament that also afflicted them in the qualifiers.

“While our strength remains our bowling, the fielding is a glaring weakness and we are also suffering from a lack of fielding coach,” said the captain.

The Lions squandered many opportunities to dismiss batsmen due to their lethargic fielding effort, allowing the KKR openers to cash in.

Hafeez though remains optimistic about his team’s chances for the rest of the tournament. “This event is a big learning opportunity for the players who haven’t had international exposure before. There are some big IPL teams in the competition and we hope to compete to the best of our abilities and will work on our fielding to improve our chances.”

Meanwhile, KKR captain Gautam Gambhir was happy with the win as his team recorded their 11th consecutive triumph that includes their run of wins in the 2014 IPL. Gambhir also lauded the contribution of opening partner Uthappa, as the two set up a winning platform.

 

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