Billings praises Watson, says Aussie took pressure off him

Sam Billings blasted an unbeaten 74 in Islamabad's win.

When the news broke out that Islamabad United opener Sharjeel Khan and middle-order batsman Khalid Latif had been suspended for alleged involvement in the spot-fixing scandal barely two days into the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) it forced Dean Jones to admit then that the last 24 hours were like "hell".
If that was difficult to swallow for the coach then a day later news of left-arm pacer Mohammad Irfan being investigated for his alleged role in the fixing only dealt a bigger blow to their hopes of retaining the PSL trophy.
But come Wednesday night and the sight of the gangly Irfan, who was cleared of any wrongdoing in the fixing scandal, take his run-up saw Islamabad's spirits rise as high as the Burj Khalifa.
Sam Billings ignited it further with a match-winning unbeaten 78 and in the company of Shane Watson the duo steered Islamabad past Quetta Gladiators for their second win in three matches.
Not one to take all the credit, Billings praised Watson for their crucial 63-run partnership.
"It helps when guys like Watson come in and smack it like he did. The guys in the subcontinent are good with variations, but I felt if I was there till the end, we will win.
"Watson kept it going and took the pressure of me. That 50-odd partnership and that's what you look for in 20-20 cricket. He is a world class player and we hope he keeps on delivering for us," added the English cricketer.
Speaking about himself, Billings said: "I'm completely a different player, playing in different conditions. Hopefully a better player than I was this time last year.
"For us to come here and play against top quality spin bowling will surely stand us in good stead when we play international matches in the sub-continent."
Billings praised the support staff and mentor Wasim Akram in particular. "Wasim bowled at me at the nets, he is an absolute genius. I might try and get him to sign for Kent this year," he said as everyone burst out laughing in the press room.
"Watching these guys when we were growing up to now sharing the room with them, it's fantastic."
Meanwhile, Quetta's Mohammad Nawaz, who spoke to the media on behalf of his skipper Sarfraz, agreed that the team was short by 20 to 25 runs especially after they got off to a good start.
"The way we started we felt the match was going very well. We thought we would get to 170-175 but their bowlers bowled well in the death overs. But I think we still fought well and the team combination was good."
The allrounder agreed that it was Shane Watson who took the match away. "The way he was hitting the ball out of the ground, it surely made the difference."
Umar Gul and Thisara Perera together went for 70-odd runs but Nawaz backed them. "It's a T20 match and every bowler has a bad day. "The Sharjah pitch is flat and boundaries are small so one needs to score at least 170 in order to defend."
clareto@khaleejtimes.com