Dubai, Feb 3 With the battlelines drawn for the ILT20 Season 3 finale, Pakistan bowling legend and former captain Wasim Akram put his weight behind the Desert Vipers to outshine their opponents to go all the way to the title.
While the Vipers were the first team to book a berth in the play-offs in this season with their dominating show with the bat and the ball, defending champions MI Emirates finished second in the points table to qualify. Sharjah Warriorz and Dubai Capitals became the third and fourth teams respectively to sneak into the play-offs after their commanding victories on Super Sunday clashes held in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
With seven wins from nine games, Desert Vipers have been in top form through the league stage and have turned their performance around this season after a poor outing last edition. This is the reason why Akram says the Vipers are his favourite team.
"For me, Desert Vipers are my favourite team and there is a reason why they are my favourite," he said. "It is not because they are table toppers but because they had three Pakistani players in their squad and we saw some good performances from them in the league stage. Though Azam Khan needs to fire. We still have another week's play left where he could score a quick-fire 50 to help his team win," said Akram.
With the league providing a golden opportunity for the UAE players to rub shoulders with global icons of the game, Akram believes the exposure is paying off with players like Muhammad Waseem, Aayan Afzal Khan and Muhammad Rohid living up to the billing.
"There are quite a few UAE players who have stood out this season. Waseem has been quite consistent as an opener and he is quite senior. If we were to speak about fast bowlers, then Rohid is doing well. Aayan came in and scored a six to help his team win by chasing. He has been a good all-rounder for his team."
"What I look forward to from these young players is to take the experience from here, be consistent, and be on top of the ladder in their performance. Spending over a month with some of the best players in the world is a big bonus for them. They should be learning about their mindset, how they train, and what they eat. The vision behind this league is to groom players for UAE and that is happening. It is now time for UAE to be one of the top performers among Associate Member nations," Akram signed off.
Akram was also impressed by the tough competition between the teams as they reached the playoff stage.
Underscoring the fierce competition to find a place in the top four, Akram said, "Until yesterday, we only had one team sure of its place in the playoffs. This shows the quality of the competition here; it shows the consistency of the wickets. There were five teams who still stood a chance to make it to the top four."
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