LAHORE: Hyderabad Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne was overjoyed after winning the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 Eliminator 1 match against Multan Sultans by eight wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Wednesday.
The victory brought the curtains down on Sultans’ campaign while also pushing the Kingsmen a step closer to qualifying for the finals, where they next face three-time champions Islamabad United in Eliminator 2 at the same venue on Friday.
Labuschagne’s decision to bat first in the high-stakes match against Sultans paid off as Shaun Masood’s heroic half-century saw the 2021 champions down to a modest 159/9.
In turn, the Kingsmen made light work of chasing the target of 160 runs with just 2 wickets and 28 balls to spare.
Labuschagne shared that it was great for the entire franchise, including owners, players and support staff, to reflect on his team’s all-round performance that kept them motivated for the PSL title in their first appearance and above.
He shared that the team did a lot of work to make sure they came prepared and tried some new ideas, which according to Labuschagne, came up against the Sultans.
“It’s very difficult to put into words what it means to have the owners, owners, team and support staff here: it’s very special,” Labuschagne said in the post-match presentation.
“We put in a lot of work and time to make sure we came prepared today. We played well, especially with the bat, and tried to come up with some new ideas and a little bit of preparation. It’s great that it came out today,” he added.
The win against the Sultans marked the Kingsmen’s third in a row since a humiliating eight-wicket defeat at the hands of United, during which they were bowled out for a modest 80 runs.
When asked how the team managed to bounce back from the heavy defeat, Labuschagne insisted that they were “superior” in their previous win against Sultans in a high-scoring match, thus enduring a batting disaster.
Citing their struggles against United, Labuschagne shared that after coming from another high against Rawalpindis, they ensured a respectable run of the recently concluded match against Sultans, who thrashed them by 108 runs to secure a miraculous playoff berth.
“When we won that amazing game against Multan, we felt very high and we addressed that today. We were hoping to do the same in the next game. That’s the reason we were bowled out for 80,” Labuschagne said.
“We had another high with that fantastic game against Rawalpindis. It was very important for us to treat this game individually and with the respect it deserves,” he added.
Marnes Labuschagne lauded his team’s fast-bowling attack of Mohammad Ali, Hunain Shah and Akif Javed, saying it was a great feeling to have bowlers a captain can trust.
“It’s great to have guys you can put your trust in. In T20 cricket, you’re always going to have bad overs and pressure. But it doesn’t matter because you can trust them and communicate and they trust the process,” the Kingsmen skipper said.
“I’m really proud of where we were – not winning a game in the first four games, then finding our feet in the back half of the tournament and really building momentum,” he concluded.