Multan Sultans’ Head Coach Andy Flower believes that his side have the ability to win the Pakistan Super League (PSL) title once again ahead of the eight season of the tournament.
Multan lifted their first PSL trophy in 2021 and were the runner-up in 2022.
“They should definitely look forward with hope and expectation. We all want to think positively about Multan’s results. I must say it is important to understand, certainly in our dressing room, that to a large extent, you can’t control results. You can control things like your attitude when you turn up to training or your attitude when you turn up to compete in the match,” Flower told PCB Digital.
“Those are the things that are under your control and those are the things that we try to encourage our players and staff to focus on. If you do that well, you have a higher chance of doing well in the tournament. That is how we try to look at it,” he added.
The former Zimbabwe cricketer was also eager to see his side play in front of their home crowd in Multan.
“I would not want to dampen any of our supporters’ hopes and dreams. We are really looking forward to performing in front of the [home] fans for five of our games this year. We played there before and the atmosphere was sensational. It has a great ground. It has a good pitch. We hope we can make the use of our home conditions, home knowledge,” he said.
Flower also opened up about what made the PSL stand out as compared to other T20 leagues in the world.
“Each league has its nuances and its differences. I genuinely have enjoyed my time in the Pakistan Super League. It has been exciting to see the talent that is available. What really stands out for me is the fast bowling and the spin bowling. In the Pakistan Super League, every side has pace and usually every side has a wrist spin. Some of the batting quality is obviously top notch,” he said.
“I do really like the fact that the Pakistani cricketing public have really bought in to the various franchises and associate themselves with each individual franchise and, therefore, provide the atmosphere that's so important not only for the players to express their talent in front of, cameras and pass on that feeling of excitement to the viewers on TV.
“I think all that stuff is important in developing a great product and the HBL PSL definitely got that.”
The opening ceremony of PSL 8 will be held in Multan on February 13 prior to the tournament opener between 2021 winners Multan Sultans and defending champions Lahore Qalandars; meanwhile the closing ceremony and final will be played on March 19 in Lahore, which will also host play-offs.