Zaman Khan aiming to help Lahore Qalandars successfully defend PSL title in season 9

Pakistan’s right-arm fast bowler Zaman Khan is aiming to help the reigning Pakistan Super League champions Lahore Qalandars defend the title they won last year in season 8. The Qalandars won their first-ever PSL title under the captaincy of Pakistan’s current T20I captain Shaheen Afridi and the left-arm pacer will be leading them once again this season.

Zaman Khan played a pivotal role for the Lahore-based outfit last year, forming a lethal bowling partnership with fellow countrymen Shaheen and Haris Rauf along with Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan. All 4 of them were in the list of top 10 bowlers with the most wickets in PSL 8 with Rashid leading the way with 20 wickets in 11 matches, finishing as the tournament’s 3rd-best bowler after Multan Sultans’ Abbas Afridi (23) and Ihsanullah (22).

Shaheen scalped 19, Haris took 17 and Zaman accounted for 15 wickets. Their squad is looking even more formidable this year as they have bolstered their unit with some good local players and have also welcomed South African batter Rassie Van Der Dussen into the squad in place of Harry Brook.

The Qalandars will kick off their PSL 9 title defense against Islamabad United on February 17th and ahead of their opening clash, Zaman Khan revealed his plans for this season. While speaking to a local Pakistani outlet, Zaman stated that he is more than willing to work hard in order to help the Qalandars win back-to-back titles this year, regardless of the opposition, and believes the defending champs have a well-balanced squad.

“My target is to lead the team to the final through hard work. We have put in a lot of effort; the combination is good, and we will perform well. The T20 World Cup is also approaching, so the focus is on maintaining form and fitness for that,” Zaman Khan told a local outlet. 

Refining My Slow Yorkers And..”, Zaman Khan Discloses The Variations He Is Set To Display In PSL 9

Zaman Khan went on to reveal the variations he is nourishing in order to terrorize opposing batting orders in PSL 9. The 22-year-old claimed that he is working with determination to improve his slower yorker and improve his economy and efficiency in the death overs.

“I am actively working on refining my slow yorkers and investing extra effort to specialize in death overs,” Zaman concluded.  

He is also expected to play a part for Pakistan in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies, which is set to start from June 1 onwards. The Green Army will be aiming to take a major step forward in ensuring they win the coveted title for the 2nd time after getting beaten by England in the final last year. Pakistan have been placed in Group A along with teams like India, Canada, and Ireland.

PSL 9 will be very important for the local Pakistani players to make a mark in order to seal their tickets to the USA and West Indies for the T20 WC.

Lahore Qalandars full squad for PSL 9: Shaheen Afridi (C), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Rashid Khan, Rassie van der Dussen, David Wiese, Shai Hope, Sikandar Raza, Sahibzada Farhan, Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Imran, Ahsan Hafeez, Jahandad Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Syed Faridoun, Dan Lawrence.