PSL 2021 | You need to ignore the noise when you go for the win, states Mohammad Rizwan
After leading his side to their first-ever PSL trophy, Multan Sultan’s skipper Mohammad Rizwan has stated that it is important to ignore the outside noise to win the trophy. While crediting the team for sticking together, he lavishly praised Maqsood’s influence on the team in the competition.
Following the back-to-back losses at the start of the competition, Mohammad Rizwan-led Multan Sultans found themselves in a precarious position, at the bottom of the table. While they won their third encounter against Lahore Qalandars, they went back to losing ways before they finally found the winning streak.
Having reached their maiden final in the last four years, the Sultans had a tough task, in the form of Peshawar Zalmi, a side who has been consistent in the competition. Sohaib Maqsood, who has been largely an ignored figure in the past, found himself up and running in the competition, including scoring a 65 in the final, to lead the Sultans to their first-ever PSL title.
In the post-match presentation, winning skipper Mohammad Rizwan credited the team’s ability to ignore the noise and stated that ignoring the noise is the best possible way to go for the win. He also praised the team management for their efforts during the second leg of the competition, which was played in the Middle East.
“Credit to god, who took us from bottom to the top tonight. Credit to our managers as well, who've made it so comfortable for us during this second leg. Finals are pressure games - you can't avoid that in the final. We discussed that and brought it down to two things - it would either be pressure of batting first or batting second,” an elated Rizwan said.
“So it began like that, the pressure of playing out the new ball, and then we took it from there. When you go for the win, you need to ignore the noise. With Maqsood we felt he wasn't getting enough of a hit and then we decided to push him up and it's paid off. And our bowlers have been fantastic throughout.”
During the first leg of the competition, the Sultans side were blessed with the appearance of Chris Lynn, James Vince and Rilee Roussouw. However, in the second half of the competition, the franchise had to trust in their domestic players, including a decision to promote Maqsood, a move that paid off dividends for the franchise in the end, with 428 runs in the competition.
"I got a lot of confidence over the domestic season. In the PSL I hadn't established myself. But here the management showed faith and sent me up the order, particularly when I started batting No. 3, that helped turn things around. I'd taken a break from red-ball cricket for a year and worked on my skills. I was given responsibility as well, that helped. But it mostly came down to my form. I don't want to do anything different - if I get a chance, I'll play with the same kind of mindset and aggression. Credit to the captain and management here who said it doesn't matter if I fail and that I should play my game," said Maqsood.
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