Darren Sammy,
who lead Peshawar Zalmi to the title in the second edition of the
Pakistan Super League in the final held in Lahore, said the decision to
travel to Pakistan was for a good cause. A number of overseas players
pulled out after it was announced that the final will be played in
Lahore but Sammy along with David Malan, Chris Jordan, Anamul Haque,
Marlon Samuels, Morne van Vyk travelled to play.
"When
you have not been in a place you always have your doubts," Sammy said
on Sunday (March 4) after leading his team to the title. You get
different views, different opinions. But I spoke to Javed [Afridi, the
Peshawar team owner] and Shahid Afridi and they influenced my decision
to come here. All the boys just made the decision that we are part of
something that we are coming down here for a good cause. The fans here
deserve to see their players playing as they haven't seen it for quite a
while. I am glad I came here.
"I
have enjoyed playing a cricket match [in Lahore] and I have even
enjoyed being with the security guys as I have never seen something like
this before so it was a good experience. It is hopefully a step in the
right direction, where things could happen. What I can say is that being
here felt like playing in St Lucia, playing in India or anywhere else
in the world. And like I said at the toss, today I felt cricket was the
winner."
This
was the second time a major match was played in Pakistan after the
attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009 in Lahore. A number of teams have
refused to travel to Pakistan with the Federation of International
Cricketers' Association (FICA) as well advising players to refrain from
travelling to the country. Only Zimbabwe, in the eight years, have
played in Pakistan when they toured for a limited-overs series in 2015.
Sammy
also acknowledged that winning the trophy meant a lot to him. "To me it
was more than just a game," he said. "It started with the draft. Lala
[Afridi] made the big announcement that I would be the captain and one
of our mottos was to bring back the smiles so I felt tonight I brought a
lot of smiles in Lahore and Peshawar. It is an amazing day and this
trophy means a lot."
News From: Cricbuzz
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