Darren Sammy reveals the real reason behind going to Pakistan for PSL final

2-time World T20 champion Darren Sammy is a crowd favorite wherever he travels to play cricket. His high spirits and never-say-die attitude are loved by the spectators. Recently, during the World XI tour of Pakistan, Sammy was appreciated for showing great sportsmanship when he applauded Hasan Ali for bowling a great yorker despite ending up on the floor in trying to keep that ball out.

Sammy was highly praised for his willingness to travel to Lahore to play the PSL final in March earlier this year. Despite security concerns, Sammy led his side Peshawar Zalmi to a title win in the finals in an iconic contest at the Gaddafi Stadium. It was the same city where the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked by a group of terrorist eight years ago but that didn’t deter the West Indian to stop himself from playing in a cricket-frenzy country.

Sammy’s mom backed him to go ahead

In an interview with Pakistani journalist Fazeela Saba, Sammy revealed the real reason behind his decision to go to Pakistan. He said that his team was like a family and the teammates assured him of his safety but his mother’s advice was a game changer for the 33-year old.

“We knew we had a decision to make. You know, like I said, Zalmi team was like a family, Javed (Afridi), Lala – Shahid Afridi and coach (Mohammed) Akram; but to me, my final decision was, when my mom told me to just go out and don’t worry about anything. I will be on my knees praying for you, whatever (happens), God is in charge! That was my assurance. Once my old queen (mom) said she got my back, that was the last thing I needed to hear and that was it.”

The success of the PSL final instilled trust amongst various cricketers around the world and later, the ICC joined hands with the PCB to send a World XI team to the country to play the 3-match T20I series. All games were tightly contested and in the end, the home side won the series by a 2-1 margin. Sammy played 2 of the 3 games for the visiting side.