ISLAMABAD: All through his cricketing career Lahore Qalandars captain Brendon McCullum has played with a fearlessness that only he could. When the kiwi veteran comes out to bat, no bowler is fast enough, no ground big enough for him to change his free-scoring style. He played his cricket with his trademark swagger, and it’s not going to change in the 2018 Pakistan Super League (PSL). Ahead of the February 22 kick-off, the message from McCullum is: “We’ll play selfless cricket, we’ll play fearless cricket and we hope we can make our fans proud this year. We’ll try and do our absolute best to win.” The Qalandars have been hapless in the opening two editions of the PSL, finishing bottom of the six-team tournament each time, albeit due to little fault of McCullum. While the franchise’s past record may not have been great, the 36-year-old is confident that things will be different in the upcoming season. “I think we’ve made some very, very good signings over the off-season,” said McCullum. “We’ve had a couple of disappointing years but maybe this is the year when we can stand up for the people of Lahore but also for those who support the Qalandars from all over the world.” Serving as McCullum’s deputy during the 2018 PSL will be Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman, and the New Zealander seems very content with the choice the franchise has made. “I have a trusted ally in Fakhar Zaman, which is fantastic,” said McCullum. “He’s going to do great things as a leader as well.” McCullum also reserved praise for head coach Aqib Javed, saying: “He [Javed] has also been very prominent from the get-go. He does wonderful things all 12 months a year. To have him at the helm is really cool.” Published in Daily Times, February 19th 2018.