Karachi-Lahore rivalry brings out the best in players, says Fakhar

Sharjah - Lahore fans' celebrations infuriated some of the key Karachi players

Sports rivalries add spice to competitions world over. The pressure of the match is often felt by players, coaches and above all the fans.
Lahore and Karachi - two cities in Pakistan which have a history of rivalries in many spheres but it is a cricket contest which beats everything. The PSL match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings on Feb. 16 was a recent occasion where the intense rivalry came to the fore.
Lahore's 22-run victory over Karachi led to some wild celebrations by the Qalandars fans who targeted Wasim Akram, who is from Lahore, but is part of the Karachi team. The celebrations infuriated some of the key Karachi players who in turn argued with Qalandars fans.
Lahore Qalandars opener Fakhar Zaman while talking to Khaleej Times welcomed this rivalry and said: "It is an age old rivalry on the cricket field between the two cities. It is the beauty of the game as it brings out the best from the players and (it) should be considered a positive factor.
"The rivalry dates back to the 50s and 60s at the domestic level and the PSL provides a new platform for the players and fans."
Lahore finished at the bottom last year and the owners have invested heavily this time by roping in some big names including AB de Villiers. They have won one two of five matches so far.
"The tournament is quite young and the loss against Peshawar Zalmi should be a wake-up call for us. We committed many mistakes against Islamabad and Karachi and lost both the matches. We hope to mitigate our mistakes in future."
The left-hander, himself a product of the PSL, is confident that the league will produce more players.
"Haris Rauf (Lahore Qalandars), Mohammad Rizwan (Islamabad United), Umer Khan (Karachi Kings) and Ibtisam Sheikh (Peshawar Zalmi) are the few emerging players this year. PSL has proved a boon for youngsters.
"This year we are playing eight matches in Pakistan and I hope the whole tournament will be held in the country soon.
"Pakistani fans are starved of international cricket as our youth are eager to watch their own stars and foreign players performing in front of their eyes," Fakhar concluded.