Hyderabad: Expressing happiness over playing in a major tournament like Champions League Twenty20 in India, Lahore Lions captain Mohammad Hafeez on Saturday said that his team is determined to play well and get support of the crowd.
“It is great to come to India. People are crazy about cricket. When you play well, they support you. We will continue to provide entertainment to the crowd and get more support from them,” he told reporters here ahead of Lions clash with IPL defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders here on Sunday.
Hafeez said his teammates were keen to put their best foot forward when they would take on a formidable KKR. “All the teams participating in the tournament are champions. We, as a team, have got good talent. We believe that if we play well we can beat any team,” he said.
Explaining that his team comes to the tournament as regional side in which about 7-8 players do not have international exposure, Hafeez said, “Senior members are supporting them to see that they performed well.
“Lahore Lions bowler Aizaz Cheema and others have done well in the previous matches of the tournament by getting early breakthroughs and the team hope to continue its good form in the main draw of the event as well.”
The Lions have won two of the three matches they played in the qualifiers and Hafeez feels the Lions would continue to impress in the main round also.
“I think the most deserving teams have qualified and we are very much having the momentum. We have confidence and talent. The team has shown that in the qualifiers. We are looking forward to this round,” he concluded.
New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson said that he was looking for the shots all through his record knock of 101 not out in Northern Knights victory over Cape Cobras in a Champions League Twenty20 match in Raipur.
Williamson struck a hundred from just 48 balls to record the fastest ever CLT20 century to help the Knights beat the Cobras by 33 runs under Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-shortened Group B match.
“I suppose it has to be my standout T20 innings and it was nice to bat through. Always trying to work on my shots and hit the balls into the gaps and adapting to different conditions,” Williamson said after the match.
