Pakistan Super League has given numerous rising stars to Pakistan Cricket. Fast bowlers like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Mohammed Hasnain are all a product of the PSL. Also, PSL played a major role in Babar Azam’s development as a young batsman. Also, the likes of Mohammed Haris and Fakhar Zaman have walked into the national side after their heroics in the league.
Also, the all-rounders like Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammed Nawaz, and Mohammed Waseem Jr have been gifted to the Pakistan team by the PSL. Even International stars like Harry Brook, Saqib Mahmood, and Tim David got fame from this league. Here, we will talk about the potential future superstars, whom you can see in the 8th edition of the PSL.
So, let’s get on with it.
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Saim Ayub
Image 1: battingwithbimal.com
Left-handers bring a lot of elegance with them, and Saim Ayub is the perfect example of that. The southpaw plays shots on both sides of the wickets with pure timing and class. Quetta Gladiators introduced him in the PSL 2021, and he immediately caught the eye of cricket fans. His elegance suggested that he was a great find for the Gladiators. However, he wasn’t able to score many runs from them.
The 20-year-old exhibited his batting skills in the National T20 Cup in 2022. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament and powered the Sindh team to win the trophy. He played a fine knock of 36(24) in the final. Overall in the tournament, Saim piled up 416 runs in 12 innings.
He scored a couple of half-centuries with a best of 92. His average of 34.66 in the competition was just above par. But, the strike rate of 155.22 raised several eyebrows. Batting at a brisk rate is a real feature of his batting. He also strikes at 109.56 in List A cricket and has an average of 46.64. So, he certainly is one of the players to keep an eye on in the PSL 2023.
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Qasim Akram
Image 2: geo.tv
Many term him the future captain of the Pakistan national team. Well, we’ll see whether it happens or not, but he is certainly going to be a future star for Pakistan. Qasim led the Pakistan team in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup. In Pakistan’s last game of the World Cup, he went on to pick 5 wickets after scoring 137*. That’s when people started to talk about his extraordinary talent.
After his heroics in the U-19 World Cup, Qasim started to play in the domestic circuit. Everybody was surprised when he was named the captain of a star-studded Central Punjab team in the National T20 Cup 2022. The all-rounder played for Karachi Kings in PSL 2022 and will represent them again. The 20-year-old will be looking for a breakthrough season this year.
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Abrar Ahmed
Image 3: wikibio.in
Abrar Ahmed recently made his debut in International cricket and has stunned the cricket fraternity. The leggie has grabbed 28 scalps in just 4 test matches on batting paradises. His googly is hard to pick, and it turns as much as his leg spin. He was picked in Pakistan’s T20 squad to face England in the 7-match T20 series. Unluckily, he didn’t get even a single chance in that series.
Abrar made his PSL debut in 2017 for Karachi Kings. Later, he also represented Peshawar Zalmi as well. He wasn’t that impressive in either of those teams, but he is a much-improved bowler now. Islamabad United have picked him for the 2023 season, and it’s a great opportunity for him to break into Pakistan’s white ball team.
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Zeeshan Zameer
Image 4: islamabadunited.com
Pakistan have picked several fast bowlers from the Under 19 circuit, who have become stars later. Mohammed Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Musa Khan have been roped in from the Under 19 team. Now, Zeeshan Zameer is the latest fast bowling sensation of Pakistan, who has emerged from Under 19 cricket. His 5-wicket-haul powered Pakistan U-19 to a famous win over India U-19.
Following his impressive show in Under-19 cricket, Islamabad United picked him in the PSL 2022 draft. In his debut PSL game, he dismissed Babar Azam with a snorter of a delivery. That delivery told the world about his sensational talent. But, the ecstasy soon turned into agony as he got injured while bowling the same over. He was ruled out from the remainder of the PSL 2022, and Islamabad United retained him for the 2023 edition.
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Josh Little
Image 5: cricketworld.com
Josh Little is the only overseas player as well as the last man on the list. The Irish pacer came into the limelight after bagging a superb hat trick in the 2022 T20 World Cup. The 23-year-old is also set to make his IPL debut this year after being sold for 4.4 crores INR.
The left-arm pacer has the ability to swing the new ball. He is excellent at death because of his ability to generate reverse swing and bowl accurate yorkers. He will represent Multan Sultans in PSL 2023 and could be their ace bowler.
