KARACHI: Former pacer Aaqib Javed, the head coach of Lahore Qalandars, has opened up about his team’s struggles during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9.

The defending champions Lahore Qalandars suffered six consecutive losses in the PSL 9 and crashed out of the playoff race.

Javed, while talking to the media in Karachi, stated that the availability and injury issues of their players were the major factors behind the team’s dismal performance.

“We tried to create a balanced team, however, David Wiese’s injury, Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s as well as other players’ absence caused problems for the team,” said the former pacer.

“Rashid Khan has always been the best option for our team, but unfortunately he could not participate this season.”

Aaqib Javed also reflected on Lahore Qalandars’ approach in the remaining games against Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators.

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“We lost some matches in the last minute. But now it is a matter of honour for our team to win the remaining matches,” he remarked.

He expressed hope that his team will turn things around in the match against arch-rivals Karachi Kings.

“Although we failed to defeat Karachi Kings for the past few games, they do not have a psychological advantage over us,” Aaqib Javed said.

“We have to play positive cricket and we can make a comeback,” he added.

He also praised Lahore Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Afridi, who completed 100 wickets in PSL during their match against Islamabad United.

“Shaheen [Afridi] has crossed the milestone of 100 wickets in PSL. It is a matter of honour for our team.”

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