Dubai, Feb. 2 (Online): Sir Viv Richards, the legendary batsman who is here as the mentor of Quetta Gladiators team, said the natural cricketing talent in Pakistan should make the Pakistan Super League (PSL) a big success.
“I have always enjoyed Pakistan cricket, Even though we as the West Indies team had success then, there was one team whom we always found problematic and that was Pakistan. May be, you don’t have the players in form as you would like to, but certainly Pakistanis are always filled with magnificent talent,” he said at his team’s net at the ICC Global Academy grounds.
As Richards walked into the practice area to meet his players with his usual swagger, players from all teams held their breath to have a look at him in awe. He smiled, waved and mixed freely with them.
When Gulf News asked after his session with the boys on how it felt to be back in the UAE after his exploits in Sharjah that enthralled many fans in the past, he said: “Sharjah was the first where I came in the UAE, the person I remember most is Abdul Rahman Bukhatir who was responsible to bring cricket to this world and am happy cricket is still a major attraction here.”
Looking around the ground like he used to survey the field to play his shots, Richards said: “It is nice and cool. When you have pleasant weather, I am hoping that cricket may be as pleasant as the weather.”
When asked about how was the introduction with the team players, Richards said: “It was great with manager Moin Khan around, I am a pretty outgoing guy. I would like to think I get on well with anyone and being the professional that I would have been over the years it made it so much easier.”
To a query as to what would such a league like PSL need for being successful, Richards said: “I have been involved with Big Bash for three years and I have been involved with Indian Premier League (IPL) for one year and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) too, so this is an extension. So I believe that with the magnificent cricketers that you have in this region this could get better. It depends on the individuals who are part of the team themselves and I do believe there is enough personnel here for this league to be a success.”
Richards then explained his role with the team – making it clear that he is not here to teach the strokes. “It is not about strokes. I am here basically to try and instill as much confidence as possible. T20 cricket is all spontaneous, not the things that we have on a regular basis and so it is tough to coach. What I am here for is to inspire and pass whatever information that is necessary. ”
What would be Richards’ message for them? “Self belief. If you do not believe in yourself no one is going to believe in you, so you need to trust yourself all the time and back yourself. That is why you are here and this franchise trusts you to be here. So it is important you yourself trust yourself and believe that you are good enough,” he added.
