KARACHI
\nWhen Sufiyan Muqeem marks his run-up at the bowling crease, the fall of opposition wickets appears almost inevitable. Such has been the pattern the left-arm wrist spinner has established this HBL Pakistan Super League season for Peshawar Zalmi.
\nLargely introduced into the attack by captain Babar Azam during the crucial middle overs, Sufiyan has made it a habit of striking regularly. In doing so, the 23-year-old has collected 13 wickets in five PSL outings so far \u2014 averaging just under 10 and conceding a miserly 6.45 per over \u2014 to sit atop the bowling charts.
\nSufiyan\u2019s latest masterclass came on Monday night at the National Bank Stadium, where his spell of 3-30 proved decisive in Peshawar Zalmi\u2019s 24-run victory over Multan Sultans. Chasing 197, the Sultans looked comfortable at stages, but Sufiyan\u2019s variations and control turned the tide. He removed key players including Josh Philippe and Ashton Turner, applying the brakes as the asking rate soared.
\nThe southpaw\u2019s resurgence in the PSL has been nothing short of a redemption arc after he was dropped from the Pakistan side despite a promising start to his international career two years ago \u2014 four ODIs yielding eight wickets at 22.75 and 19 T20Is producing 27 scalps at 14.74. However, selectors moved on, leaving the young spinner to reassess and rebuild. That setback might have dented confidence. Instead, it triggered a professional response. Back with Zalmi, Sufiyan has displayed the composure and hunger that first caught the selectors\u2019 attention.
\n\u201cWhenever I give him the ball as a captain, I have confidence that he\u2019ll pick up a wicket for me somewhere,\u201d Babar said after the Multan match. \u201cWhen he goes for the kill, he\u2019s not a bowler who gets hit easily. In my opinion, he\u2019s a big asset for Pakistan, and going forward, he\u2019ll serve Pakistan a lot with the way he\u2019s bowling.\u201dBabar added that Sufiyan still needed improvement but was progressing steadily.
\n\u201cHe talks to the coaches. After every match, he asks, \u2018Where can I do better?\u2019\u201d the Pakistan stalwart noted. That attitude \u2014 humble, inquisitive and relentless \u2014 has been evident in Sufiyan\u2019s ability to deliver under pressure, mixing flight, dip and sharp turn on unresponsive surfaces. Zalmi\u2019s fielding coach Azhar Ali echoed the skipper\u2019s views, highlighting the rarity of left-arm wrist spin and the control Sufiyan has shown.
\n\u201cLeft-arm wrist spin is quite rare and it\u2019s hard to bowl accurately. The way he has bowled with control and temperament is impressive because in T20 cricket the best batters come after you and you have to be brave \u2014 and he has been brave,\u201d Azhar said. Sufiyan\u2019s journey mirrors many Pakistani cricketers \u2014 from tape-ball roots in AJK to structured cricket in Rawalpindi, followed by domestic performances that earned him a national call-up.
\nEarly success in T20Is promised much, yet the competitive nature of selection meant even brief lapses could cost a place. For Zalmi, his role goes beyond numbers. In an attack featuring the pace of Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam, Sufiyan offers control and variety.
\nPeshawar remain unbeaten so far in the PSL, carrying momentum into the business end of the tournament.
\nAt 23, Muqeem\u2019s story is still unfolding. The national door that closed may yet reopen if he sustains this form. For now, his focus remains clear: executing plans, learning constantly and answering critics one spell at a time. As Babar observed, persistence brings rewards. In Sufi\u00ady\u00adan\u2019s case, quiet determination is rapidly translating into match-winning performances on the biggest domestic stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KARACHI When Sufiyan Muqeem marks his run-up at the bowling crease, the fall of opposition wickets appears almost inevitable. Such has been the pattern the left-arm wrist spinner has established this HBL Pakistan Super League season for Peshawar Zalmi. Largely introduced into the attack by captain Babar Azam during the crucial middle overs, Sufiyan has …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":96395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96415"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96427,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96415\/revisions\/96427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}