Jones feels Sami can still serve Pakistan

Sharjah - Having played for close to two decades, Sami brings with him oodles of experience

Mohammad Sami may be at the wrong end of 30 but the fast bowler has not lost any of his sharpness. It is not just pace but the guile that has served the man from Karachi, Sind.
Having played for close to two decades, Sami brings with him oodles of experience. He looks fit as a fiddle and continues to chip away with wickets.
And that has not been lost on Dean Jones, his coach at Islamabad United with the former Australian cricketer saying that Sami could still figure for Pakistan.
"Sami still has a chance, believe it or not, to do something for Pakistan in the future and I honestly believe that," said Jones.
"He always plays well for us. I understand what Mohammad Sami is like. He is an amazing athlete who can bowl 140-145 at this age," he added.
Sami has again been impressive in this season's HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL), snapping up 10 wickets in nine fixtures. His best bowling figures this season has been 3-21 against the Lahore Qalandars at Sharjah, a match that went into a Super Over.
With Islamabad United already qualified for the play-offs and topping the table, Jones decided to give Sami and a few others a well deserved rest in their final League fixture against the Karachi Kings on Friday night.
"We eased him off tonight for the big push," Jones said, with an eye on the Qualifier against the Karachi Kings at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday night.
Islamabad United finished with seven wins and three losses in 10 games and Jones said he would take that.
"I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't finish winning eight-two but 7-3, that's ok," he said.
Jones was delighted with how some of the young boys have shaped up over the course of the tournament.
"There are a lot of boys who have started to put their hands up which is a good sign in the dressing room. Hussain (Talat) has been great, Asif (Ali) has been a wonderful finisher, Faheem (Ashraf) has been brilliant. People asked me why we retained Asif, now they can understand why we are doing these things," explained Jones.
Looking ahead to the Qualifier, Jones had just this advice to give his players.
"Basically, I just have to remind them or tell them why they finished number one. What were the things that we did very well compare to the other teams," he said.
"We have a terrific team atmosphere, everybody is enjoying each other. I have to say that we have done more practice sessions than anyone, we have had more pool sessions than any other franchise, we have been unbelievable aided by our analytics and our coaching staff, working on tactics and strategy. So, there is no stone unturned. Sometimes, you give them too much information and you have to be mindful of that as well. But the boys have enjoyed some of the stuff we gave and they have had some fun," he added.
james@khaleejtimes.com