Multan Sultans' maiden PSL triumph brings importance of man-management skills to the fore

Multan Sultans were one of the franchises not exactly considered among the favourites going into the 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team had been knocked out in the Eliminator of the previous season, having finished second from bottom in the first two editions of the tournament. The Multan-based franchise had further kicked off the recently concluded edition in the worst possible manner, losing four of five games. The team was placed firmly at the fifth spot on the table before the edition was suspended due to COVID-19 cases being reported. PSL 2021 resumed in the UAE with the likes of Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings expected to challenge for the trophy. The masses had largely written off Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators, with the two teams in terrible form at that stage.

However, while the Gladiators failed to mount much of a challenge, the Sultans recorded their maiden triumph in the PSL defeating Zalmi in the final. The Multan-based franchise was playing its first final in the history of the tournament but looked confident against a team that was playing in the final for the fourth time. One of the most noteworthy factors behind this transformation by Multan was the man-management of former Zimbabwe cricketer Andy Flower. Flower backed the players to perform to the best of their capabilities even when the results were not impressive enough, urging them to remain confident.

“The best part about Andy Flower’s coaching style is that he never allows negativity to come close to the team. Otherwise, with the sort of performances we gave in Karachi [losing four out of five games], it would have been very easy for any coach to come and shout [at the players], but he doesn’t work like that. When we came here to Abu Dhabi, 90% of our team thought we are here to play a few games and go back. But credit to him and our skipper [Mohammad Rizwan]. He [Flower] calls us champions even when we lose games. He calls us champions in training sessions, in the dressing room. Sometimes we used to laugh, saying we are more losers than champions, but he had that self-belief,” said Sohaib Maqsood, one of the star performers for the franchise in an interaction with Cricinfo.

Flower’s backing pushes Maqsood, Rizwan and Murzabani in the right direction

Maqsood scored the third highest number of runs in the recently concluded edition, with no one in the top seven in the list of run-scorers matching his strike rate. Flower motivated the player who had been largely written off by selectors with regard to selection in the national team, earning him a call-up for the first time in five years.

The former Zimbabwe cricketer further showed trust in pacer Blessing Muzarabani who was largely untested in competitive T20 leagues, handing him a spot in the lineup. Muzarabani repaid the faith in the semi-final against Islamabad United, accounting for three dismissals to help his side emerge victorious by 31 runs.

Flower further backed emerging wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan in the role of a captain, giving him the freedom to express himself. The backing paid off remarkably as Rizwan showcased his captaincy acumen through some shrewd switching in bowlers, gifting Shahnawaz Dhani the perfect platform to express himself. Dhani topped the wicket-takers list with 20 dismissals from 11 games at an average of 17.

Flower seemed extremely emotional following the triumph in the final, hailing his boys for performing outstandingly well.

“I’m very proud of our boys, they performed sensationally actually. I think the best thing about winning the trophy is that we came back from nowhere. We lost four out of five in Karachi, and I think most people had written us off. Importantly I don’t think anyone in the dressing had written ourselves off. So to come back from that and inch our way back up that table, get into top two. That top two positions are obviously very important if your chance of going through to final. We did that straightaway. And then I thought the boys under pressure today they performed outstandingly well,” he said in a post-match interview.

“And then even with Shoaib Malik and Rutherford making a burst towards the last third of their innings, our guys were under pressure and they dealt with it brilliantly. Really proud of Rizwan as the captain and also Shan Masood who reacted like a true champion in the way that he has carried himself after losing the captaincy at the end of last PSL. So very proud of everyone involved. I could go through a lot of individuals here but Rizwan was sensational with the bat in Karachi. Sohaib Maqsood when he got his spot at 3, he was obviously brilliant. And he has forced his way back into the national squad which is a great effort on his part and I am happy for him. He was sensational and he came through under pressure on most occasions. So that was wonderful to see, I hope he goes onto the international game and does something similar,” added the former Zimbabwe cricketer.

Flower is involved with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL as an assistant coach. It will be interesting to see if he can spearhead the franchise to their maiden title triumph as well.