'As professional cricketers, players should be ready to play in any conditions' - Shadab Khan on extreme weather conditions in Abu Dhabi

Despite several hurdles, Pakistan Cricket Board was committed to staging the second leg of PSL in June. Their efforts paid dividend and the tournament is all set to resume in Abu Dhabi from June 5. However, the job is still not done and the PCB has to battle the challenges all through the tournament. One of the biggest challenges for the board will be to keep players fresh in the soaring temperature of Abu Dhabi. To beat the scorching heat, the board has decided to use coconut water, ice vests to keep the players hydrated and cool.

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Islamabad United skipper Shadab Khan also shed light on the challenging conditions in UAE and admitted that playing in high temperature won't be easy. However, he believes that being professionals, players should be able to play in any conditions.

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“As a professional, you have to play in hot or cold weather and so we have to get used to it. It’s not an excuse because it is the same for every team. It’s going to be difficult but as a professional, you have to accept these challenges and train yourself for different conditions,” he said.

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He further revealed that he is backing on the performances of local Pakistan players to do the job for him.

“Usman Khawaja, Munro and Brandon King will also be important for the side but our core is based on Pakistani players and we are expecting them to do well,” he added.

The leg spinner suffered an injury on the South Africa tour and hasn't played since then. He is keen to get back onto the park and deliver for his team.

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“If was a difficult year for me as I was injured most of the time. It’s difficult to perform straightway when you comeback in the side after an injury. I’m fully fit now and also trained for two or three session but after that we were quarantined. After our quarantine ends, I will utilise the time available to get ready for matches,” he said.

Shadab further reckoned that there is still some time left for T20 World Cup thus players should concentrate on the PSL rather than thinking about the T20 World Cup.

“This is still some time left before the World Cup, which is why I’m only focusing on the PSL at the moment. I will try to perform well and help my team win the PSL, this is the only thing I’m thinking about right now,” he concluded

Islamabad United had a decent first leg of PSL and won three out of their four games. Shadab Khan is confident that his team will continue their form when the tournament resumes in UAE.

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