KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi congratulated the players and management of the Karachi Kings after they sealed their maiden win of the Pakistan Super League season 8 on Sunday.

Star ex-cricketer Afridi visited the Karachi Kings dugout after the match and warmly greeted the players following a sensational 67-run victory against arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars.

Afridi, who attended the high-voltage clash of the PSL 8 at National Bank Cricket Arena, expressed that the win was crucial for Karachi Kings after back-to-back defeats.

“It is essential for the PSL that Karachi Kings stay in the tournament,” he said in an informal talk to reporters.”They played well today and won against a good side.”

When asked about the emerging stars in the ongoing PSL, especially Peshawar Zalmi’s Saim Ayub, the former all-rounder opined that one should judge the youngsters with such haste.

“Let the tournament concludes first and then we should judge their overall performance,”  he said. “We should not overrate them after one or two matches. This adds additional pressure on them.”

“Let the players enjoy their cricket,” he remarked.

It may be noted here that Karachi Kings’ victory against defending champions Qalandar came after three consecutive defeats in the first three matches of the PSL season 8.

James Vince and captain Imad Wasim led the Kings to pile a mammoth 185/5 before Akif Javed impressed with the ball by grabbing four wickets to bundle out Qalandars for 118.

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