ISLAMABAD: Batter Tayyab Tahir has expressed his gratitude to Karachi Kings for giving him a chance to prove his mettle in the Pakistan Super League, which paved the way for his selection in the national T20 team.

Right-handed Tayyab received his maiden call-up to Pakistan’s T20 side for the three-match series against Afghanistan being held in Sharjah later this month.

“First of all, I want to thank Karachi Kings’ fans for supporting us throughout the tournament,” said Tayyab, 29, in a video message shared by the Kings on their official Twitter account.

The Gujrat-born player said he was grateful to the Kings management for providing him with an opportunity to perform on the biggest cricketing stage in the country.

“I got the chance in the national team on this basis,” he said.

Tayyab said he was determined to do well at the international level.

“I will try to do my best for the Pakistan team and make my country proud,” the batter remarked.

Pakistan have named a new-look 15-member squad under the captaincy of all-rounder Shadab Khan for the Afghanistan series.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, and several frontline players including opener Fakhar Zaman, pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan have been rested.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023