From being undisputedly the best Pakistan Super League in the first four seasons to failing to advance to the playoffs in the next four, Quetta Gladiators have been on a rollercoaster ride that is no longer as thrilling as it once was. No prizes for guessing why. Failing to advance to play-offs or in other words ending up in the top four among only six teams has cast a shadow over the Gladiators wherever they go.
The franchise management has, this time, decided to put a stopper on this misery by implementing significant changes. One notable change is appointing a new head coach, as Shane Watson joins Quetta Gladiators.
From Islamabad to Quetta to Farewell and back to Queta
During the first-ever drafts of Pakistan’s premier cricketing league, the Aussie cricketer was roped in by Islamabad United. He spent two years with the Capital-based team, helping them triumph over the others in the inaugural PSL season. Although his numbers for the red-hot squad might not have hit the record books as they did with the Sarfraz Ahmed-led team, his all-round game with both bat and ball was the secret sauce that helped Islamabad nip at their opponents’ heels.
He bid adieu to United in 2017 and was immediately snagged by Quetta who had then been continuously ending tantalisingly close to victory in finals.
Watson joins Quetta again after 4 years
For Watson, it’s like meeting a long-lost friend since Quetta and he goes way back to the halcyon days of the franchise. The Australian all-rounder last played for the Purple Force in 2020, in what was his third and final season as a player. However, his figures still dazzle prominently on the team’s leaderboards. The trophy in the franchise’s trove owes to his player-of-the-tournament contributions during that edition. Come this season, Watson will coach those donning a jersey, he once took to the heights of glory.
The purple team finished at the bottom of the table in the last edition of the Pakistan Super League, scripting their name as victorious in only three out of ten matches. This signifies that the Australian player has a gargantuan mission ahead of him to accomplish.
Who has he replaced?
Just a day ago, the Gladiators announced the transfer of Moin Khan, their head coach since the start of the league, to the position of Team director. This news sparked rumours apropos the team’s coaching staff, prompting discussions about who would be taking over the coaching responsibilities. With the wittiness characteristic of all PSL teams, The franchise kept hinting at the homecoming of one of their alumni through their social media posts. An official announcement followed soon, reviving the hopes of the side’s fans immensely.
During this pre-draft period, Quetta is trying to iron out as many kinks as they can. Naseem Shah, the team’s premier pacer who has the finesse to rule all phases of the game, was traded earlier to Islamabad United after the news of the quicks’ interest in leaving his PSL team surfaced. This could have hurt them very badly, had they not come up with the plans to barter Mohammad Wasim Junior and Abrar Ahmed in Shah’s place from Islamabad.
As Watson joins Quetta as the coach this season, a new start will give the side a headstart they have been craving for four seasons now. For the league as a whole too, Quetta’s rejuvenance will bear glad tidings. A tournament played by only six teams loses its thrill if even one of them falls behind in the race. Games concluding in dead heat keep the fans glued to their seats and this season all teams will make it certain.
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