KARACHI (Kashmir English): Defending champions Lahore Qalandars won their third match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 on Saturday, defeating Rawalpindiz by 32 runs and also eliminated the latter from the ongoing tournament.
The match was played at the National Bank Stadium Karachi. Playing first, Qalandars scored 210 runs for the loss of four wickets and they restricted Rawalpindiz to 178-9 in their 20 overs, courtesy of an excellent bowling performance by the Qalandars’ attack.
Pindiz had a poor start as opener Shahzaib Khan became the first batter dismissed in just third over. He fell to skipper Shaheen Afridi.
Afridi struck again in the same over, dismissing captain Mohammad Rizwan for a run-a-ball nine, which included two boundaries, leaving the side struggling at 17-2 in 2.3 overs.
Then Daryl Mitchell and Yasir Khan took the score past the 50-run mark. However, their 71-run partnership was broken when Haris Rauf dismissed Mitchell for 11 off 15 balls, including one four, leaving Pindiz at 88-3 in 9.2 overs.
Haris Rauf struck again in the same over, sending Yasir to the pavilion after a brilliant 58 off 29 deliveries, which included six fours and three sixes.
RawalPindiz continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. At one point, they were 110-6 in 12.5 overs.
Batting first, Lahore Qalandars finished their innings at 210-4 in their allotted 20 overs. There was outstanding performances by their opening batters Mohammad Farooq and Fakhar Zaman.
Their score crossed the 50-run mark inside the powerplay. Farooq was in top-notch form with the bat, while Fakhar contributed steadily from the other end.
The duo brought up their 100-run stand, showcasing their brilliance while aiming to post a mammoth total to defend.
However, the 121-run partnership was broken when Mohammad Amir struck on the fifth delivery of the 11th over, dismissing Farooq, who played an exceptional knock of 63 off 41 deliveries, including five fours and the same number of sixes.
Fakhar’s 25th PSL half-century
Fakhar kept the scoreboard moving for his side, which not only helped the team’s total surge past the 150-run mark but also saw the left-handed batter raise his bat for his 25th PSL half-century. Qalandars lost their fourth wicket in the 19th over.
