Led by Shaheen Afridi defending champions Lahore Qalandars retained their PSL title after recording a shocking one-run win towards Multan Sultans on the final ball of the ultimate to win the Pakistan Super League 2023 on Saturday. Taking about Afridis and cricket, Shaheen’s father-in-law, Shahid Afridi can be set to play a last of a event along with his previous teammates within the Legends League Cricket (LLC 2023) last.
Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar shared a clip of Afridi and his teammates having a dialog forward of their LLC last and the PSL last between Multan Sultan and Lahore Qalandars.
Watch the video right here:
Discussing the victory of @iShaheenAfridi & Lahore Qalandars along with his father in regulation and mentor @SAfridiOfficial, who himself is within the last of @llct20 in Doha. pic.twitter.com/Enu9jGPXxp
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) March 19, 2023
Needing 4 runs off the final supply bowled by Zaman Khan, Khusdil Shah was run out whereas going for the third run to stage Lahore’s whole of 200-6 as Multan completed at 199-8.
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s sensible all-round efficiency propelled Lahore to a robust whole with a belligerent 44 not out off simply 15 balls, and the left-arm pacer then picked up 4 wickets within the loss of life overs to complete with 4-51.
Khushdil and Abbas Afridi (17 not out) smacked quick bowler Haris Rauf for 22 runs within the penultimate over earlier than Zaman saved his nerve in entrance of 25,000 followers to provide the house group victory.
“It was difficult early on as the momentum swung in the final,” Afridi stated. “We kept our nerves and succeeded to win crucial moments in the game.”
Both groups additionally performed in final 12 months’s last, and Lahore started with a one-run win towards Multan within the opening recreation of this 12 months’s event. Multan had crushed Lahore within the qualifier earlier than Lahore beat Peshawar Zalmi of their elimination recreation.
Multan’s top-order batters did not get slowed down towards a star-studded Lahore bowling lineup as captain Mohammad Rizwan (34) and Usman Khan (18) plundered Afridi for 34 runs in his first two overs.
Rizwan, who completed the event because the top-scorer with 550 runs in 12 video games, and Rilee Rossouw (52 in 32) then mixed in a 64-run stand off 42 balls earlier than ace leg-spinner Rashid Khan (2-26) dismissed each batters.
Rizwan was brilliantly snapped by David Wiese at long-on boundary after which Rossouw chopped Rashid’s turning ball again onto his stumps. Afridi returned and acquired the large wickets of Kieron Pollard (19) and Tim David (20) earlier than ending off his spell by eradicating Anwar Ali and Usama Mir off his final two balls.
Multan introduced down the goal to eight off the ultimate two deliveries. Khushdil lofted Zaman over additional covers for a boundary off the penultimate ball however could not take Multan over the road within the last supply.
“My heart was pounding in the last over but my captain told me to try my best,” Zaman stated. “I knew batters are anticipating yorkers so I bowled a few slower ones as well.”
Earlier, Afridi adopted the profitable template of Lahore to bat first.
Abdullah Shafique made a dangerous 65 off 40 balls when Pollard could not grasp a return catch earlier than the batter had scored, and Afridi confirmed his batting prowess by hitting 5 sixes and two fours, after leg-spinner Usama Mir (3-24) picked up three fast wickets and Lahore had stumbled to 112-5 within the fifteenth over.
Multan’s prime two wicket-takers within the event ? Abbas Afridi and Ihsanullah ? had been smashed for 49 runs in three overs within the loss of life overs as Afridi’s blistering knock allowed Lahore so as to add 71 runs off the final 4 overs. Abbas Afridi topped the bowling charts with 23 wickets within the event, adopted by Ihsanullah on 22.
