LAHORE (Monitoring Desk): The home side Lahore Qalandars’ bowlers wreaked havoc over Multan Sultan’s batting unit; defeating the latter by 42 runs to win their maiden Pakistan Super League (PSL) title, here at Gaddafi stadium.
Set to chase 181 in the final of the mega event, the defending champions Sultans could only manage to score 138 before getting bowled out in the final over.
The Sultans, despite having a decent start, faltered in the run chase after the skipper Mohammad Rizwan made his way back to the pavilion after scoring just 14. Following his departure, the side began to lose wickets at an alarming rate and in the end, bowled out for 138.
The left-handed explosive batter Khushdil Shah, resisted a bit as he top-scored for his side with a gritty 32 off 23 balls, while the rest of the batters could not contribute significantly in the run chase.
The Qalandars’ skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi led his side from the front; taking three wickets, while Zaman Khan and Mohammad Hafeez followed back with two each. Haris Rauf and David Wiese, on the other hand, struck out a batter each.
After opting to bat first, the Qalandars finished at 180-5 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the late on-slaught by Wiese and Harry Brook. The pair fired all the cylinders and bolstered the side to a commendable total in the final of the mega event.
Earlier, the home side was off to a poor start; losing three wickets for a mere 25 runs as Abdullah Shafique and Zeeshan Ashraf, alongside the in-form batter Fakhar Zaman perished after scoring cheaply.
The veteran batter – Hafeez then anchored the innings with his gritty knock and put on a valuable 54-runs partnership with Kamran Ghulam. Just when the pair appeared comfortable at the crease Kamran made his way back to the pavilion after attempting to sail the ball over the bowler’s head.
Kamran managed to score 15 off 20 balls, while Hafeez kept going and went on to score a magnificent half-century. He, however, departed in the 18th over after attempting to accelerate the proceedings. He top-scored with 69 off just 46 balls; smashing nine boundaries and a six. Following his departure, the cameos from Brook and Wiese turned the game on his head as the pair contributed a handy 43 runs on the last 16 balls. Wiese scored a quickfire 28 off just eight balls with the help of a boundary and three sixes, while Brook scored an unbeaten 41 off a mere 22 balls; smoking two boundaries and three sixes.
For the Sultans, Asif Afridi bagged three wickets, while Shahnawaz Dahani and David Willey struck out a batter each.
‘Will expand PSL to Quetta, Peshawar, Multan’ Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja: The Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja has announced to expand the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to Multan, Peshawar, and Quetta from the next edition of the mega event.
While addressing the closing ceremony of the PSL 7, Ramiz announced to expand the marquee event to the next level by hosting the matches in other cities as well.
“We will expand the PSL to Quetta, Peshawar, Multan, and other parts of the country and the world will see the real buzz,” he said.
“Next year, we will have matches in Multan & Peshawar also,” he added. Later, the PCB Chairman also served as the commentator in the final of the mega event between the home side Lahore Qalandars and the defending champions Multan Sultans. While talking to Mike Haysman in the commentary panel, Ramiz said he is really happy to have a successful tournament.
“I am very grateful for successfully conducting the PSL 7. Everyone contributed whole-heartedly to making this event a successful one,” he said. Ramiz also thanked the crowd for their immense support towards the marquee event and making the league a successful one by showing up in large numbers. “Today is a wonderful festival of PSL. I think the people of Lahore played an important role in making PSL a success,” he said. “Seeing the enthusiasm of the spectators, it seems that a new stadium should be built in Lahore which can seat 50,000 people,” he added. PCB Chairman further revealed that he is supporting Qalandars to win the final as his children are with the home side.
Ramiz further commented on the historic tour of Australia after a gap of 24 years, said Australia’s tour to the country is welcoming.
“Australia’s tour to Pakistan is welcoming. It will be a good series for the cricket fans,” he said.
Ramiz went on to term the green shirts as the favorites to win the series against the Kangaroos.
On the other hand, PCB handed out one-year contracts to 100 junior cricketers between 13 and 19 years age bracket as part of PCB’s Junior Development Programme.
In addition to financial assistance, the PCB will invest in the youngsters to help them develop their entire persona, including cricketing skills and education. The 100 contracted players will then be earning monthly retainers of PKR 30,000 each after the contracts come into effect.
The 100 contracts have been divided into five categories:
Total contracts for U-19: 45
Total contracts for U-16: 25
Total contracts for U-13: 15
Special talent/nominated: 10
Contracts for Balochistan: Five
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