LAHORE: Ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 final against Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Sunday, Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam admitted that winning the trophy as captain was his dream.
Babar, who was appointed Pakistan’s short-form captain in 2019, has led the national team in six multilateral tournaments, including World Cups, but has been unable to lead the Green Shirts to title victory.
His fortunes as a captain in the PSL have remained the same so far as he is yet to lift the prestigious silverware after leading Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi in four seasons since 2022.
Notably, Babar had a forgettable start to his PSL captaincy as the Kings managed to win just one of their 10 league stage matches in the seventh edition.
The star batsman was later traded to 2017 champions Salmi, who finished fifth in last year’s landmark 10th edition, leading to playoff qualification in the first two of his three stints.
However, Zalmi have emerged as a force to reckon with in the ongoing season as Zalmi, who suffered just one defeat in the league stage, booked their place in the finals by thrashing three-time champions Islamabad United by 70 runs in the qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Babur, who has been instrumental in Zalmi’s success this season, is just one win away from winning his first PSL trophy as captain.
Asked to comment on his chances of ending his title drought as a captain, Babbar insisted that winning the trophy is every captain’s dream but insisted that it should not lead to exaggeration and urged his team to play in the same way that brought victory to the 2017 champions so far.
“Every captain dreams of lifting the trophy and I am no different. But the most important thing is to execute our plans, keep things simple and not let the pressure take over,” Babar said during the pre-match press conference at Gaddafi Stadium.
“It’s a new tournament, a final, and it brings a different pressure, so you have to be proactive and avoid overthinking. There’s nothing else to do; we have to play the same cricket we’ve been playing,” he added.
Babur addressed the criticism he often faced due to his captaincy, saying he did not pay attention to it.
“As for the criticism, it’s always there – whether you do it or not – so I don’t focus on it.”