Tag: Lahore Qalandars

LAHORE: Karachi Kings have won the toss and elected to field first against Lahore Qalandars in the tenth match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.

PLAYING XIs

Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Rassie van der Dussen, Shai Hope (wk), Sikandar Raza, George Linde, Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti, Jahandad Khan, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan.

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Karachi Kings: Shan Masood (c), Mohammad Akhlaq (wk), James Vince, Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard, Mohammad Nawaz, Irfan Khan Niazi, Daniel Sams, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Tabraiz Shamsi.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 17, Karachi Kings 11, Lahore Qalandars 6

READ: Mohammad Amir comments on his comeback to international cricket

Former captain Shahid Afridi has opened up about Lahore Qalandar’s pace bowler Haris Rauf, who is struggling with his bowling form during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9.

Lahore Qalandars lost both of their matches in the PSL 9 and Rauf has given dismal performances in both games.

The express bowler conceded 38 runs without a wicket in three overs in the opening match against Islamabad United.

In the next match, he picked one wicket and gave away 47 runs in his four overs against Quetta Gladiators.

However, Shahid Afridi, believes that Rauf needs the right mentorship at the moment to regain his lost form.

“Right now, Haris Rauf seems to be struggling with his bowling, and I’m not quite understanding it,” said Afridi while talking to a local news channel.

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“He needs honest help at this moment, the guidance of seniors is necessary because we shouldn’t sideline him completely,” he further added.

The former all-rounder also acknowledged Rauf’s potential and suggested that the pace bowler should play four-day cricket to improve as a bowler.

“He has given some fantastic performances for Pakistan. That boy will improve even more when he plays longer-format cricket,” said the former captain.

“When he plays four-day cricket, his bowling will automatically improve, but right now, he needs our support,” Shahid Afridi concluded.

Lahore Qalandars will next face Multan Sultans at Multan Cricket Stadium tomorrow.

READ: Multan Sultans’ combined bowling effort books Islamabad United on 144

LAHORE: Defending champions Lahore Qalandars got a much-needed boost as renowned all-rounders Carlos Brathwaite and Sikandar Raza joined the squad ahead of their second Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 fixture.

According to the details, both Brathwaite and Raza will be available for selection for the Qalandars’ clash with Quetta Gladiators here on Monday.

“Sikandar, known for his all-round skills and dynamic presence on the field, joins Lahore Qalandars with a wealth of experience. His ability to contribute with both bat and ball adds a valuable dimension to the team’s strategy. He is part of Qalandars’ core and was retained in their roster but missed the opening game due to prior commitments in ILT20, which concluded on February 17 in Dubai,” the Qalandars said in a press release.

“Carlos Brathwaite, a T20 specialist and a renowned power-hitter, brings his explosive batting prowess and strategic bowling to the Lahore Qalandars lineup. He has been called up to strengthen the Qalandars’ bench.

“Both players are set to be available for the entire tournament, starting today, adding depth and international flair to Lahore Qalandars’ quest for glory.

“The team’s management expresses confidence in the newly acquired talent and believes their addition will play a pivotal role in the squad’s success.”

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Notably, the defending champions had a dismal start to their PSL 9 campaign on Saturday as they succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat against two-time champions Islamabad United.

Lahore Qalandars face a stiff challenge as they look to bounce back by defeating Gladiators, who started their PSL 9 campaign on a winning note.

READ: Team will do better in coming matches: Karachi Kings’ Masroor

Former test cricketer Aaqib Javed has rated Zaman Khan ‘higher than’ Naseem Shah in white-ball cricket, voicing his displeasure over the former missing out on a spot in Pakistan’s squad for the series against Afghanistan and the Asia Cup.

Aaqib Javed, while talking to media in Lahore on Wednesday, claimed that Zaman Khan’s skill to bowl in the final phase of the innings is second to none, and he is one of the best death-overs specialist bowlers in the world right now.

“In white-ball, I still believe Zaman Khan’s skills are above all. We have recently seen him in the Canada league, no bowler is near to him when it comes to bowling in death overs,” he said.

Aaqib Javed then rated Zaman higher than Naseem Shah, who is the first-choice bowler for Pakistan in white-ball cricket.

“I rate him more than even Naseem. Your first three choices in white-ball cricket must be Shaheen, Haris, and Zaman, you can then go down to Naseem Shah,” he added.

Aaqib Javed then humorously acknowledged the fact that the trio he named belongs to Lahore Qalandars, the PSL team Aaqib is associated with as the director and head Coach.

“You’ll say that I’m only rooting for the bowlers from Lahore Qalandars [laughs]. But Shaheen, Haris and Zaman, they should be your bowlers in white-ball cricket” he added.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the head of the national men’s selection committee, announced the squads on Wednesday in a press conference. Responding to a question about the exclusion of Zaman Khan, the former captain said, “Zaman Khan has done well with the white ball but he lacks experience in 50-over games,”

He further added, “He does have the potential as we have seen in T20 games where he has performed well. So he will become a good asset for Pakistan if he plays more first-class games.”

Zaman Khan, recently played for Toronto Nationals in the recently concluded GT20 Canada, where he picked up seven wickets, while Naseem Shah, playing for Colombo Strikers is the joint-leading wicket-taker with eight wickets in the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL).

READ: Inzamam-ul-Haq opens up on Faheem Ashraf’s inclusion in Asia Cup squad

NAROWAL: Fakhar Zaman led the charge with an unbeaten 68 in 23 balls as Lahore Qalandar beat PCB XI in an exhibition match at the newly built Narowal Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Dealing in fours and sixes, star opener Fakhar Zaman and his partner Tair Baig lit up the soft launch of the Narowal Sports City – a multi-billion rupees project comprising 14 stadiums of different sports.

Set to chase 120 runs in 10 overs, Qalandars wrapped up the Youm-e-Takbeer exhibition game with 10 wickets in hand and 14 balls to spare.

While Fakhar lived up to the cheering crowd’s expectations, Tahir also showed intent and scored 51 runs from 23 balls.

Earlier, Asif Ali stole the show during PCB XI’s batting as he smashed Lahore Qalandar’s captain and speedster Haris Rauf for four consecutive maximums in an over and remained unbeaten on 62 runs off 26 balls.

With the help of Asif’s exploits, Kamran Akmal-led PCB XI reached 119/5 after they elected to bat first.

Pakistan internationals including Abid Ali, Khushdil Shah, Usman Qadir and Sajid Khan were part of the PCB XI along with top domestic performers like Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ilyas and Mohammad Akhlaq.

READ: ICC Chairman and CEO to visit Pakistan next week

LAHORE: Haris Rauf will lead his Pakistan Super League franchise Lahore Qalandar in an exhibition game against Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) XI at the newly built Narowal Sports Complex on May 28. 

The 10-over-per-side exhibition match will serve as the soft opening of the multi-billion rupees sports facility in Narowal.

Two-time PSL champions, Qalandars, announced the 15-member squad for the exhibition match under the leadership of their premium fast bowler Rauf on Friday.

Meanwhile, regular captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is currently playing for Nottinghamshire in the ongoing Vitaly Blast 2023, will not be part of Lahore Qalandars at the event.

The exhibition game between the two sides is organized to mark the occasion of Youm-e-Takbeer – commemorating the 25th anniversary of historic nuclear tests Pakistan conducted on May 28 in 1998.

Pakistan star opener Fakhar Zaman, and emerging players from the PSL season 8, including Tahir Baig and Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti, will also feature in the match.

Meanwhile, Kamran Akmal, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Akhlaq, Abbas Afridi, Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Sajid Khan, Ali Imran and Usman Qadir will be part of the PCB XI, along with top domestic performers and U19 players.

The match will begin at 2:30 PM (PST) on Sunday (May 28).

Lahore Qalandars Squad:

Haris Rauf (C), Fakhar Zaman, Tahir Baig, Faham ul Haq, Muhammad Naeem, Haydar Khan (Overseas), Ahsan Bhatti, Salman Fayyaz, Taha Mehmood, Hunain Shah, Tayyab Abbas, Jallat Khan, Haroon Tahir, Sheryar Imran and Muhammad Shoaib

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LAHORE: Pakistan Super League season 8 winners Lahore Qalandars arrived at the Wagah border on Thursday along with the glittering PSL trophy to witness the famous parade.

Lahore Qaladnars’ fast bowler Haris Rauf took the trophy to the Wagah border on the special occasion of Pakistan Day.

Young batter Tahir Baig was also present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Lahore Qaladnars CEO Atif Rana, COO Sameen Rana and DCO Aqib Javed were the chief guests at the beat retreating ceremony.

It may be noted here that Qalandars won the PSL final by one run and created history by becoming the first repeat champions of the glitzy T20 tournament.

Young pacer Zaman Khan held his nerves calm to defend 13 runs in the final over to power Lahore Qalandars to the second consecutive PSL title after skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi’s all-round brilliance against Multan Sultans.

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KARACHI: Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan has joined Lahore Qalandars’ squad for the remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League season 8. 

According to the detail, star spinner Rashid arrived in Karachi from Dubai in the wee hours of Tuesday morning to play the PSL after missing the first two games of his side.

He will be available for Lahore Qalandar’s third PSL encounter today against Quetta Gladiators.

Scenes Kuch Aisay Hain – @rashidkhan_19 #QalandarHum #QalandarsCity #HBLPSL8 #sochnabemanahai pic.twitter.com/tEwP5Sqh5H

— Lahore Qalandars (@lahoreqalandars) February 21, 2023

Defending champions Qalandars faced a major blow yesterday when all-rounder Liam Dawson was ruled out of the PSL due to an ankle injury. He will travel back to England where he will undergo his rehabilitation.

The side currently sits at the bottom of the PSL 8 standings with two points. They won the opening match against Multan Sultans before facing a crushing defeat to Karachi Kings.

READ: Lahore Qalandars’ Liam Dawson ruled out of PSL 8

Lahore Qalandars head coach Aqib Javed has expressed his wish to see his team competing against Karachi Kings in the final of the upcoming eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League, starting from February 13. 

“That will be the icing on the cake,” said Aqib about the supposed Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandar final on the ARY News programme PSL Special. 

Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars have been enjoying a healthy rivalry since the inception of the PSL in 2016. The contest always attracts a wide viewership across the country and a full house at the stadiums. The two sides had already met in the PSL final back in 2020 when Karachi King defeated Qalandars to lift their maiden PSL Trophy.

“Without this rivalry and excitement, the game will be worthless” Aqib expressed. “This (PSL) is a community-based competition where people from each city have deep attachment with their respective teams” he added.

Talking about the Lahore Qalandars’ quest to defend their title in the upcoming season, head coach Aqib said his side had a core group of around nine players which gave them an edge over other competitors.

“We faced severe criticism in the earlier seasons, but we always used to say this there will be no stopping once we get on winning ways”

“We have a core group of nine players – like Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman and others – who have been with us since the start. This is what gives us an already set combination”

It is pertinent to mention here that PSL season 8 will take place across four venues. The grand ceremony followed by the opening match between defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans will be held in Multan on February 13.

The final will be staged in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on March 19.

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LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain and dependable all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez on Saturday announced the end of his four years journey with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars.

Taking to his Twitter, Hafeez shared that he will not be representing the Qalandars in the upcoming eighth edition of the PSL.

“My journey comes to an end with [Lahore Qalandars] here,” wrote Hafeez.

The seasoned all-rounder also thanked the franchise for an ‘amazing journey’ that lasted four years.

“Thanks for the amazing last 4 years of learnings & success. I will always cherish the amazing memories of working together,” Hafeez wrote.

My journey comes to an end with @lahoreqalandars here. Thanks for the amazing last 4 years of learnings & success. I will always cherish the amazing memories of working together. Wish u all the best for future endeavours.

— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) November 5, 2022

 

Hafeez played a prominent role in powering Lahore Qalandars to lift their maiden PSL title in the previous edition. He scored 323 runs in 13 matches and also claimed six wickets.

READ: Sri Lanka win toss, elect to bat first against England in T20 WC