KARACHI: Karachi Kings' skipper Imad Wasim ensured his fans that they will not give up till the end.
Imad addressed to media after his team lost to Quetta Gladiators by six runs. It was Kings' third consecutive defeat in Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8.
"We played poor cricket," accepted Imad. "We made mistakes which cost us in all three matches. We played good in phases but couldn't finish it off well," he said.
"As a captain, I am not under pressure at all. Whether we lose or win, I can assure you that we are not going to give up till we are knocked out of the tournament," he added confidently.
Kings have lost 13 matches out of last 14 they have played in PSL, including last season. In PSL 7, under the captaincy of Babar Azam, they lost nine out of 10 matches.
This year too, they are off to a poor start, losing their first three PSL 8 games in a row.
Imad credited Martin Guptill for taking the match away from them after their bowlers reduced Galdiators to 92-5 in 14.5 overs.
"I will definitely give credit to Guptill. He played too good and took the match away from us," he said.
"Our focus now is to win our upcoming matches and make a comeback. Good teams make comeback in tough times. We will try our best to qualify for playoffs," he added.
Criticism on Amir
Imad defended Amir and said aggression comes in heated moments.
"A fast bowler should be aggressive. I don't think he does anything intentionally, it happens in heated moments," he highlighted.
"As far as there is no objection on him by match officials, I don't have any issue," he maintained.
Amir suffered immense criticism for showing aggression against youngsters like Mohammad Haris (Peshawar Zalmi) and Hassan Nawaz (Islamabad United).
In a television show, former all-rounder Shahid Khan Afridi also highlighted Amir's on-field behaviour. Afridi shared that he talked to Amir and asked him to reduce his aggression and focus on the game.
It must be noted here that Kings will next meet Lahore Qalandars in a high-octane contest in Karachi today.
Muzamil Asif