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March 7, 2024
On Wednesday night, Lahore Qalandars clinched their inaugural win of HBL PSL 9 by successfully defending a challenging total against the host team, Islamabad United, at Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.
After setting a target of 162, thanks to a half-century from Rassie van der Dussen, the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led bowling unit delivered a potent performance, dismissing Islamabad United for 145 runs.
Put in to bat first, Lahore Qalandars scored 162-7 in their innings despite frequent wickets falling. Naseem Shah continued his impressive form from the previous game with a strong opening today, as Sahibzada Farhan could not score in that initial over.
In the fourth over, Hunain Shah capitalized on the pressure exerted by Naseem on Lahore’s opening pair in the previous over, as Faheem Ashraf caught Farhan (2 off 12 balls) at deep backward point.
The following over saw the departure of Fakhar Zaman, who scored ten runs off ten balls with one boundary after Colin Munro took a spectacular catch at the boundary while fielding at deep backward square. Shai Hope, batting at number four, managed only six runs off nine balls before being caught by Jordan Cox, giving Imad Wasim a wicket in the seventh over.
With the team struggling at 30-3 in 6.4 overs, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi came into bat, aiming to stabilize the innings and prevent further collapse.
Shaheen immediately impacted by hitting two sixes off Salman Ali Agha in the eighth over. He continued his aggressive play with a six in the following three overs until Shadab Khan dismissed him in the 11th. Shaheen’s brisk innings of 30 Shaheen’s alls included four sixes.
Sikandar Raza managed only four runs off ten balls before Azam Khan took a notable catch to dismiss him. In the 16th over, Faheem conceded 17 runs, including two sixes and a boundary. The following over saw van der Dussen (64 off 44 balls, with four fours and four sixes) reach his half-century with a six.
Munro Qalandars’n Hafeez Bhatti (13 off eight balls, including 1 six) off Naseem’s delivery, bringing DNaseem’sse to the crease. The seventh-wicket partnership between Wiese and van der Dussen added 31 runs from 15 balls, helping Lahore set a competitive total before van der Dussen was dismissed by Rumman in the penultimate over.
In response, Qalandars made a strong start, taking five wickets during the powerplay to pressure the home team’s chase of 163. Jahandad team’s spectacular catch, running back to long-on, dismissed Alex Hales for a duck on just two balls, giving Shaheen a first-over wicket.
In the following over, Salman (4 off three balls, including 1 four) was caught behind off Zaman’s bowling. Zaman also dZaman’sed Shadab’s stumps in the fifth Shadab’sh, a precise Yorker that breached his defenses.
In the final over of the powerplay, Munro (15 off 16 balls, including two fours) was run out after Jahandad made an accurate throw to the keeper, who quickly removed the bails before Munro could reach the crease. Imad Wasim, who came in next, struck a four on his first ball but was caught at slip by substitute fielder Abdullah Shafique on the next delivery.
Jahandad, introduced to the attack after the powerplay, continued his strong performance with a caught-and-bowled dismissal of Jordan Cox (7 off seven balls, including 1 four), leaving United in a precarious position at 39-6 after seven overs.
Faheem Ashraf and Azam Khan (29 off 19 balls, with three fours and two sixes) formed a 35-run seventh-wicket partnership before Ahsan dismissed Azam. Naseem joined Faheem at the crease, and together they added 42 runs, marking the highest partnership of the innings for Islamabad.
In the 16th over, Naseem (27 off 16 balls, including two fours and two sixes) launched two consecutive sixes off Shaheen. However, Shaheen soon had his revenge by clean bowling Naseem, marking his 100th HBL PSL wicket and becoming the youngest and fastest player to reach this milestone.
Zaman claimed the final two wickets, dismissing Hunain and Rumman to bowl out United for 145 in the penultimate over. Faheem remained unbeaten on 41 off 31 balls, featuring four boundaries and a six.
Zaman took four wickets, Shaheen picked up two, and Ahsan, Jahandad, and Wiese each contributed one wicket, leading Lahore to a 17-run victory.
Scores Summary:
Player of the Match: Rassie van der Dussen (Lahore Qalandars)
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Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for Top Cricket News, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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