Pakistan's U19 rising star blooms under the guidance of Shoaib Malik

The dates for the commencement of the 2018 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is inching closer. The build up to the tournament is grander than ever considering the fact that the wings of the competition have expanded. The 2018 edition of the tournament will see a new franchise, Multan Sultans. The team is expected to be led by Shoaib Malik.

Malik has been one of the senior most members in the Pakistani lineup for over a decade. He will be a key player in guiding the youngsters in the camp. Among the many who are set to benefit from Shoaib Malik is young emerging cricketer Saif Badar. In a recent episode of ‘Chai with Sultans’, Saif Badar expressed his thoughts on the opportunity of playing in the PSL.

He was picked up by the Multan franchise in the emerging category at the player drafts for the PSL season. His performances in the domestic circuit and at the U19 level paved the way for his selection/. He noted that he has played under the captaincy of Shoaib Malik earlier. He remarked that he often went up to Malik to ask for tips on his game.

“It is a dream to play under Malik’s captaincy again. I have played under his captaincy once for Punjab and now it will be a great moment for me to play under him again. He is my idol, and I use to follow him. Whenever he [Malik] was in Sialkot, I used to go and ask him, he helped me a lot,” quoted Saif Badar.

On playing under the watchful eyes of Wasim Akram

Speaking further on similar lines, Saif Badar had his words of admiration for former Pakistani skipper Wasim Akram. Akram is also associated with the Multan Sultans camp in the capacity of the mentor and coach. Badar remarked that Akram is a legend of the game and hopes to learn a lot from him.

“He is a big name, a legend. I have heard about him, but never have an opportunity to meet him [Akram],” mentioned Badar.

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