Misbah-ul-Haq credits PSL as the nurturing ground for youngsters

Pakistan's former skipper, Misbah-ul-Haq believes that the Pakistan Super League deserves major credit for the inflow of young, talented cricketers into the national teams.

The induction of the likes of Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Asif Ali and Fakhar Zaman has really invigorated the Pakistani teams across all formats and Misbah feels that PSL must be duly credited for grooming these players through world-class cricketing standards.

“I believe that the rise of the younger players has a lot to do with the PSL. We always knew that countries with their own T20 leagues such as India, where the players were getting a great opportunity to play alongside top players, were doing well at the international level,” Misbah reflected his thoughts during an interview with PakPassion.net.

The 44-year-old who recently led his PSL side, Islamabad United, to title victory believes that the league has also addressed Pakistan's domestic cricket woes. “On top of that, the gap between normal domestic cricket and the international level was too huge and that problem needed to be addressed properly. Thankfully, with three years of the PSL tournament now under our belts, we can see the difference in the way the Pakistani youngsters are performing in a confident manner and adapting so well at the international level,” the veteran added.

In addition to crediting Pakistan's very own franchise-based league for exquisite player development, Misbah also stated that Mickey Arthur has done an "excellent job" in promoting the right culture in the team.

“I think Mickey Arthur has done an excellent job in creating a side with so many youngsters settling in well into a team where there is a great emphasis on a culture of discipline and where fitness is an important factor as well. Along the way, he has had to take some hard decisions and looking at the recent results, they are all paying off for the benefit of Pakistan cricket,” said Misbah in the interview.

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