LAHORE: RawalPindiz all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was clear for his team to gel together as early as possible and overcome lapses to come out strong in the tournament.
Mitchell fronted the media after his side’s five-wicket defeat to Karachi Kings in the 10th match of PSL 11, and in his assessment of what went wrong and how the team is adapting as a new franchise. Despite his own standout performance—65 runs with the bat and three wickets with the ball—Mitchell admitted that dropped catches and key moments cost them the game.
Mitchell acknowledged that RawalPindiz had posted competitive totals in consecutive matches but failed to defend them. “I think both with the bat in both games, we put on totals that we thought put us in a good position. But if we’re really honest, a couple of key moments with the ball have probably cost us. Again tonight, I thought we were in a position to win with the ball, but when you drop a few catches and things don’t go your way, it makes it very challenging,” he said.
Despite the setbacks, Mitchell remained optimistic: “The positive is we are in positions to win games of cricket. There are a few more to go in this competition, so we’re looking forward to the next one.”
Asked about the pitch at Gaddafi Stadium, Mitchell noted its dual nature. “Early on, for us to be three down, it definitely was a little bit holdy with that new ball. Under lights, it gets nicer to bat with a little bit of dew coming into play. We scrapped our way to 198, which was a really great effort,” he explained. He praised Sam Billings for his role in their 120-run partnership: “The way Sam came out and took pressure off the partnership allowed us to keep finding ways to put them under pressure. That was really pleasing.”
Mitchell admitted that individual success means little when the team loses. “It’s never fun losing. You play to win. For me, it’s about contributing with the bat in that number four role and sneaking in a couple of overs with the ball. Nice to get a couple of poles as well, but again, we were in positions to win games.
That’s the good thing about this group—we’re a new franchise, learning different partnerships and how to work with each other. The more games we play, the better we’ll be.” Mitchell pointed to a trend in Lahore’s night matches. “You can see a trend in the night games here. It’s always a little bit nicer to bat in the second half.
