Karachi Kings playing in Karachi will be incredible: Arthur

Sharjah - Arthur said that they had ticked a few boxes but there was more left to go

The Karachi Kings playing the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Karachi would be a dream but coach Mickey Arthur urged everyone not to get too ahead of themselves and plant their feet firmly on the ground.
The Karachi Kings, one of the most popular franchises in the competition, booked the final spot in the play-offs with a clinical victory over table toppers Islamabad United at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday night.
The win pushed out tournament debutants Multan Sultans and vaulted the Karachi Kings to second on the table.
That meant the two teams square off yet again in the Qualifier at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday night.
Arthur said that they had ticked a few boxes but there was more left to go.
"I am a relieved man. It is good to qualify. We sort of put little ticks in place. And tonight, we ticked two of them in one game and I think I mentioned at the first press conference that our first tick was qualifying, our second tick was getting into the top two and then obviously winning that game, going straight to Karachi and winning a final. That was sort of our plan and thankfully tonight, we ticked two of those boxes," said Arthur.
"To be honest, it has added pressure right from the start of the tournament because everybody is saying 'we will have Karachi in the final.' We are saying 'hang on guys' as we haven't even played our first game yet. They are selling memorabilia in Karachi already. We have got to take it one step at a time and be realistic. That would be incredible for the competition and incredible for our franchise if Karachi can play the final in Karachi. It will be amazing but we still have couple of games to go," he added.
The South African said that Sunday's Qualifier will be quite different with Islamabad United back to full strength. Misbah-ul-Haq's side had rested pacer Mohammed Sami, opener Luke Ronchi and left-arm spinner Samit Patel.
"It will be another really good game. Last year, we played them in the last game, so to beat them to get into the eliminator and then beat them in the eliminator here, it kind of a little bit id déjà vu, although it was at a different stage - it wasn't for one and two, it was for three and four - last year. We always have good games against these guys and I think we have to be realistic. Luke Ronchi will be back and I think Samit Patel will be back, Sami will certainly be back. So, they will be a different kettle of fish," Arthur said.
On a different note, Arthur was unsure if Kamran Akmal would make a comeback into the Pakistan team. Akmal, who represents Peshawar Zalmi, scored an unbeaten century, the first this season, and his second in the PSL.
Akmal also tops the run charts with 347 runs from 10 matches.
"Look, you never say never," the Pakistan coach said on Akmal's return.
"To be brutally honest, we are going with a young team, we are moving forward now. He played beautifully today, he did. He was outstanding. But then again, it comes back to where he fields because Sarfraz (Ahmed) is going to keep wickets. There are a lot of things to weigh up and I think we got a T20 side now that's No.1 in the world. So, there's not going to be too many changes for that West Indies series," he added.
james@khaleejtimes.com