PSL 2021: Champions Multan Sultans used secret codes during play, Azhar Mahmood reveals reason

The sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) concluded in the last week of June. Multan Sultans, led by Mohammad Rizwan, won the coveted title for the first time defeating the Peshawar Zalmi in the final of the tournament. The team played really well in the Abu Dhabi leg and a lot of analysis from the experts was also the reason behind their spectacular analysis.

During some of the matches, the Multan Sultans used some secret codes which gained attention among experts and fans. Their bowling coach Azhar Mahmood has thrown light on the matter stating that a lot of analysis went behind the usage of the codes. He also revealed the codes were a way to advice the captain upon the match-ups between the opposition batsmen and their bowlers.

Azhar, however, also cleared that they didn’t influence the captain’s decision on the field but were just giving him advice. “The number codes we used in PSL were secret signals for the captain and bowlers as to what they can do on the field. Of course, this is not telling the captain what to do but instead it’s advice for the skipper based upon our analysis using technology to say which bowler is the best match for which batsman and so on,” he said in an interview to PakPassion.

Stunning comeback by Multan Sultans

It was a memorable journey for the Multan Sultans in the PSL 2021. They had won only one game out of five when the tournament was stopped due to COVID cases within the bubbles. However, once the PSL resumed in Abu Dhabi, they won four consecutive matches to make it to the top two in the table and then won comfortably in the final.

Their skipper Mohammad Rizwan was at the centre of the success as he ended as the second-highest run-getter of the season. He amassed 500 runs in only 12 matches at an average of 45.45 and a strike-rate of 127.88. No wonder, the support staff and the analysts also played their roles to the perfection using the secret codes when needed to guide the captain.