Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim and coach-cum-mentor Wasim Akram both dedicated their team’s maiden Pakistan Super League title to the late Dean Jones after they beat Lahore Qalandars in the PSL 2020 final on Tuesday.
Dean Jones, popularly known as ‘Professor Deano’, was appointed Karachi’s coach before the starting of PSL 2020 in March, just before the coronavirus pandemic forced the shut down of all sports.
The 59-year-old former Australia cricketer died of a sudden heart attack in Mumbai on September 24 while he was covering the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 as a broadcaster. Wasim Akram stepped in as a replacement for Jones at Karachi Kings in the playoffs.
“Dean Jones, of course, gets credit because what he taught us, very few coaches in the world can. Wasim Akram, of course, deserves the trophy because he was our bowling coach, head coach, mentor and team president rolled in one. It’s an honour to captain this franchise,” Imad said.
In the final, Karachi restricted Lahore to 134 for 7 in 20 overs and then chase down the target in 18.4 overs thanks to Babar Azam’s unbeaten 63 off 49 balls.
“Hi guys, Karachi Kings are the champions. It’s for Dean Jones and of course for the fans of Karachi, you have been waiting for this for 5 years. Congratulations Karachi Kings and our skipper Imad Wasim, well done,” Akram said in a special video message after the game.
