Lahore Qalandars coach delighted after finding a 'dream pacer'

Salman Irshad from Kashmir who is now a part of the extended squad of the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) created ‘a dream come true’ moment for the head coach, Aaqib Javed. In an interview, the former Pakistan coach said that the minute he saw Salman bowling in the nets, he realised that this bowler has potential to perform for Pakistan cricket.

Irshad was inducted into the franchise because of his performance during the Rising Stars trials in AJK where his consistent bowling speed of over 140kmph impressed everyone, including Qalandars’ director of cricket operations.

He can bowl at 150kmph

“I saw him bowling at 145kmph during Rising Stars trials of Lahore Qalandars in Azad Kashmir and that very moment I decided to pick him. There is no doubt that after fine tuning and some training, he’ll be able to bowl at speed of more than 150kmph,” Aaqib said as reported by Geo News.

He further stated that the inclusion of a player from Kashmir is a matter of pride not only for him but also for the Qalandars team. “Finding him was like a dream coming true for us,” the former Pakistani pacer said.

He was soon picked for Lahore Qalandars’ Rising Stars squad that travelled to Australia for a quadrangular tournament, where his performance was so impressive that an Australian Cricket Club Hawksberry CC signed him for the remainder of the season.

“We wanted a bowler of this kind. A bowler with strong action and pace, a bowler who can change mindset of the players from that region,” said Javed.

The third edition of Pakistan Super League commences from February 22 with the opening encounter between new entrants Multan Sultans and defending champions Peshawar Zalmi.