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Former Pakistan captain and team director of Quetta Gladiators, Sarfaraz Ahmed, has recently shared his thoughts on transitioning to his new role with the franchise.
Sarfaraz, who led Quetta Gladiators from the front for eight consecutive seasons, called the shift from captaincy to the team director’s role “interesting” and acknowledged that he’s in the process of learning and adapting.
“It’s an interesting experience stepping into this role after captaining Quetta for so long. I’m trying to learn. I did take on a mentoring role previously in the Champions Cup, so that helped prepare me in some ways,” he said.
While expressing that it’s not easy for a player to switch to a coaching or management role, Sarfaraz highlighted the importance of evolving with time.
“It’s never easy for a player to transition into a coaching role, but over time, you have to polish your skills and align yourself with new responsibilities,” he added.
Sarfaraz Ahmed has been with the Quetta Gladiators since the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2016, a long-standing association that he says remains special.
“I’m happy to have been associated with Quetta since the very beginning of the PSL. Watching the league grow year by year has been a proud journey. Credit goes to the PCB and all stakeholders involved,” he further stated.
While the past few seasons have been tough for Quetta Gladiators, Sarfaraz is hopeful about a turnaround this time.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t performed well over the last three seasons, but we’ve picked players this year who are well-suited for T20 cricket. We also have some big overseas names, and we’re hopeful they’ll deliver strong performances,” he added.
Sarfaraz also took a moment to praise some of the local talent in the squad, including young batters Hassan Nawaz and Khawaja Nafay.
“Hassan Nawaz is a promising young player, and this is a great opportunity for him to develop and aim for a spot in the national team. Similarly, Khawaja Nafay is also a talented youngster with a bright future,” he said.
He also threw his weight behind new captain Saud Shakeel, who has taken over the leadership reins this season.
“Saud has the full backing of the team. He’s shown good leadership skills, which are reflected in our first win. Even though we couldn’t win the next two games, we have complete faith in him to lead the team forward,” he concluded.
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