LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars’ 2022 Pakistan Super League (PSL) champions presented their victory trophy to head coach Aqib Javed upon their return to the hotel from the stadium.
The franchise posted a video showing the ecstatic Qalandars shouting for Javed as they made their way towards his room along the hotel’s hallway, as he stood at his threshold, always smiling.
The victors then gave Javed a bouquet, and their captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, put the silverware at Javed’s feet.
The head coach, who seemed a little overwhelmed, raised and kissed the trophy.
Shaheen and the other Qalandars told Javed that they won because of him, not because of them.
The video ends with a happy Javed going into his room and locking the door, then bumping elbows with each member of the team in a COVID-19-safe way.
As previously reported, Javed was forced to withdraw from the team and enter isolation after testing positive for coronavirus. When the Qalandars played in both playoff and final games of the PSL in 2022, their head coach didn’t come to watch them.
On Sunday, the Lahore Qalandars put on a show to beat the Multan Sultans by 42 runs and win their first Pakistan Super League title.