Sharjah: The Sharjah leg of the Pakistan Super League ended on Sunday — increasing the profile of the event with some splendid thrillers. The fans got to see David Wiese of Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators skipper Sarfraz Ahmad hit last ball sixes to win the match for their teams. Out of the five days of action in Sharjah, apart from these two last-ball sixes, the fans also saw Peshawar Zalmi win over Multan Sultans with just two balls to spare.
Interestingly, the very next day after hitting the last-ball six, Wiese had to suffer the agony of being hit for a six off his last delivery by Sarfraz. Both the heroes expressed their feelings on emulating the legendary Javed Miandad, who made Sharjah almost synonymous for last-ball sixes with he did against India in the Sharjah Cup final in 1986.
Speaking about his last-ball heroics, Wiese said: “I was confident of hitting a last-ball six. As a bowler, you feel under pressure, so I know that you can go for a six and in such situation and you feel confident. I was hitting the ball nicely and it came off well.” Wiese’s six came off Australian Dan Christian.
Wiese hit his six in front of a packed Friday crowd at the Sharjah Stadium and revealed how enthralling it was with whole crowd cheering for him. “It was electrifying to hit the winning six with a packed house chanting for Lahore. The crowd was fantastic and gives you that little bit more energy and it’s always nice to play before a packed crowd,” said Wiese.
Sarfraz, also the Pakistan skipper, considers his ability to bat calmly under pressure as the reason behind him being able to hit the six. Quetta needed 36 off the last five overs and two runs off the last ball when Sarfraz hit Wiese for a six. When reporters asked Sarfraz on how was it to emulate Miandad, he reminded that the pressure under which Miandad hit that six makes it easily the best. “You cannot compare my feat with Miandad’s. His was an international match and the pressure of an international match — that too against India — must have been enormous.”
Interestingly, both Sarfraz and Wiese said that they are thankful to AB de Villiers, who is known to hit sixes under pressure. Though de Villiers is his rival team captain, Sarfraz said: “AB plays so calmly and, while there is no comparison, but I have also learnt to play calmly. Whenever I need to bat under pressure, I keep my cool and that’s why I delivered tonight.”
Wiese, who batted with de Villiers during the course of his heroic innings, said: “AB and I have batted so many times in the IPL and for South Africa and it’s nice to bat with him, he is so calm and supportive. I think AB is one of those captains who doesn’t like to speak too much. He doesn’t complicate things, he believes in having a clear planning in his mind and just want you to try to execute your skill as much as possible. With him as captain, you have that calmness and he backs his players hundred per cent and that’s good for the players.”