Tag: PSL 7

LAHORE: In the second eliminator of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7, the re-strengthened Islamabad United will lock horns with the home side Lahore Qalandars to book their final berth against Multan Sultans, here at Gaddafi Stadium.

Two time PSL champions United and the Qalandars will be seeking a win to secure their place in the final of the mega event. The winning side will proceed further in the tournament and will face the defending champions Sultans in the final on February 27. The losing side, however, will be crashed out of the tournament.

United, who were jolted by the injuries and unavailability of their key players have got revamped as their Irish explosive batter Paul Stirling also made his way back to the side after the inclusion of their skipper Shadab Khan and Alex Hales.

With a revamped squad and a stunning victory in the first eliminator against Peshawar Zalmi, the side will be heavily backing itself to taste an important triumph today.

The side once again can rely on their top-order as Hales and Stirling can provide a flying start, while Shadab, Azam Khan, and Faheem Ashraf can hit the ball later in the innings.

In the bowling department too, Shadab is an important asset for the champions, who is currently leading the list of top wicket-takers in this year’s PSL. Fast bowler Hasan Ali can also be proved handy after his astonishing performance in their last outing against Zalmi.

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The Qalandars, on the other hand, which suffered a frustrating defeat against Sultans in the qualifier will be looking to bounce back and seal the final spot.

The home side relies heavily on their in-form opener Fakhar Zaman, who is currently the leading run-scorer of the PSL 7. The Qalandars direly need him to chip in on the big stage since the side lost their way in the run chase against Sultans, following his dismissal.

The Qalandars’ bowling unit, however, is considered as their strength since the home side has the services of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, and Mohammad Hafeez, who has an extraordinary record against the left-handers.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches-14, Islamabad United-9, Lahore Qalandars-5

LAHORE: Ireland’s opening batter Paul Stirling has rejoined Islamabad United for second Eliminator against Lahore Qalandars today in Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7. 

Stirling’s surprise return will strengthen United’s top-order before the all-important knock-out game. The right-handed opener will be available for selection.

The Irish cricketer left for national duty after playing Karachi-leg of PSL 7. He represented his team in ICC T20 World Cup 2022 qualifier. Ireland and UAE qualified for the mega event.

READ: UAE, Ireland qualify for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022

LAHORE: Former pacer Waqar Younis highly praised Peshawar Zalmi’s pacer Salman Irshad who impressed him with his yorkers bowled against Islamabad United in Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7’s first Eliminator on Thursday. 

In a Tweet after watching some deadly yorkers bowled by Irshad, Younis said the youngster reminded him of his old days.

“Another Lahore Qalandars’ product Salman Irshad, Super Spell. Good speed and accuracy. Purani yaadain taza kar deen with those beautiful inswinging Yorkers. Excellent game of Cricket. Big congratulations to Islamabad,” the legendary pacer wrote.

Another @lahoreqalandars product @Salman150kph Super Spell. Good speed and accuracy. Purani yaadain taza kar deen with those beautiful inswinging Yorkers. Excellent game of Cricket 🏏. Big congratulations to @IsbUnited @thePSLt20 #IUvsPZ pic.twitter.com/gssUSua3Jc

— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) February 25, 2022

Salman clean bowled Alex Hales and Asif Ali by bowling impressive yorkers.

HASEEN NAZZARA 😍@Salman150kph gets another breakthrough 👌🏼 #HBLPSL7 l #LevelHai l #PZvIU pic.twitter.com/JF5t9kJwAE

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 24, 2022

KAMAAL YORKER 👌🏼 #HBLPSL7 l #LevelHai l #PZvIU pic.twitter.com/GKRKNNq8a2

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 24, 2022

READ: Rain expected today before PSL 7’s second Eliminator

LAHORE: Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7’s second Eliminator between Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United can be affected by rain in the city today as predicted by the Met Office. 

As per the prediction, the city will receive rain between 3 pm to 6 pm. The ground staff at Gaddafi Stadium has covered the square.

The knock-out game can be played with reduced overs. In case of a wash-out, Qalandars will qualify for the final due to winning more matches at the group stage. Shaheen Afridi-led Qalandars also beat United twice in this tournament.

It must be noted here that Multan Sultans are already in the final after they beat Qalandars by 28 runs in the Qualifier on Wednesday.

READ: United knock out Zalmi, advance to second PSL 7 eliminator

LAHORE: Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by five wickets in a thrilling first eliminator of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7, here at Gaddafi Stadium.

With a stunning victory, the United will now face Lahore Qalandars in the second eliminator tomorrow for the final berth.

Set to chase 170, United chased down the total with three balls to spare as Liam Dawson hit a six and a boundary to steer his side over the line after brilliant knocks of Alex Hales and Azam Khan.

Earlier, in the run chase, the United openers provided a fair start for the run chase as Will Jacks departed after managing to score 11. His partner Hales, on the other hand, stood firm and kept the scoreboard ticking alongside Shadab Khan.

The pair put on an important 34-runs partnership as the batters accelerated the innings with some big hits. Shadab departed earlier after scoring 22 off 17 balls; smashing one boundary and a six.

Hales then joined hands with the newly arrived Azam to proceed to score his half-century. He, however, could not continue for long as Salman Irshad yorked him for 62. He faced 49 balls and smoked six boundaries and three sixes.

Azam also played a crucial 28-runs knock before walking back to the pavilion in the final over. He faced 22 balls and smashed three boundaries including two sixes.

For the Zalmi, Salman bagged three wickets, while Khalid Usman and Benny Howell struck out a batter each.

After opting to bat first in the first qualifier, the Zalmi managed to post a commendable 169-5 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the fifties from their experienced batters Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik.

Coming out to bat, the Zalmi openers Mohammad Haris and Kamran failed to provide a flying start to the side as Faheem Ashraf managed to break the opening partnership for 30. Haris, who was looking firm perished after scoring 12.

His opening partner, Kamran however, stood firm and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly while the newly joined batter Yaris Khan walked back to the pavilion after scoring cheaply.

Kamran then put on an important 40-runs partnership with Malik and reached his half-century. He, however, could not continue for long as he departed after scoring 58 off 39 balls; smashing seven boundaries and two sixes.

Malik then put things under his control and accelerated the innings with the left-hander Hussain Talat. The pair put on a quick 56-runs partnership for the fourth wicket before Talat perished while attempting to scoop Hassan Ali’s full-length delivery; handing an easy catch to the short fine leg. He scored a quick 28 off 15 balls, laced with five boundaries.

Malik, on the other hand, carried his bat till the last over and scored a magnificent 55 off 43 balls. The veteran smashed four boundaries and two sixes in the course of his stunning knock.

Following the late power hitting, the Zalmi finished at 169-5 in the first innings; setting a 170-runs target for the United.

For the United, Hasan starred; taking three wickets, while Shadab and Faheem struck out a batter each.

KARACHI: Blind cricket team will play an exhibition match before Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7’s second Eliminator on February 25. 

According to the details, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken an initiative to promote blind cricket during its biggest event.

The exhibition match will consist of four-overs-a-side and national blind cricketers will take part in it. The match will be played from 3:45 pm PST at Gaddafi Stadium.

It must be noted here that South Africa blind team will be coming to Pakistan in March to play five ODIs and three T20Is. The ODI series will take place in Karachi whereas Faisalabad and Lahore will host T20Is

READ: Dar, Raza to serve as on-field umpires in Test series against Australia

LAHORE: Peshawar Zalmi has won the toss and elected to bat first against Islamabad United in the first eliminator of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7, here at Gaddafi Stadium.

PLAYING XIs

Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (c), Alex Hales, Will Jacks, Azam Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Liam Dawson, Hasan Ali, Athar Mahmood, Zahid Mahmood, Waqas Maqsood

Peshawar Zalmi: Wahab Riaz (c), Benny Howell, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Haris, Shoaib Malik, Hussain Talat, Haider Ali, Khalid Usman, Salman Irshad, Yasir Khan, Ali Majid

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches-18, Peshawar Zalmi-9, Islamabad United-8, No Result-1

LAHORE: In the first eliminator of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7, third-ranked Peshawar Zalmi will compete with the injury-hurt Islamabad United, with the winner advancing to face Lahore Qalandars in the second eliminator, here at Gaddafi Stadium.

Former champions Zalmi and United will be seeking a win to advance to the second eliminator against the Qalandars. After losing to Multan Sultans in the qualifier, Qalandars have already set their sights on the winner of the first eliminator.

The 2017 PSL champions Zalmi, which were struggling to get going in the early stages, have found the momentum. The side won their last four matches including a super over win against Qalandars.

The top-order of the side, except for Mohammad Haris has been a concern for the side as their Afghan explosive batter – Hazratullah Zazai had a forgetful tournament so far.

However, the top-order failure posed little to no concern to the side as the veteran cricketer Shoaib Malik, Hussain Talat, and Ben Cutting are scoring crucial runs for the team in the middle-order.

The bowling department of the Zalmi, led by the skipper Wahab Riaz himself has been through a major confidence booster as Wahab bowled a magnificent super over against Qalandars and conceded only five runs.

However, Mohammad Umar, who went for 23 runs in his last over against Qalandars’ Shaheen Shah Afridi will be a concern for the men in yellow.

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The United, on the other hand, had a contrasting run to Zalmi as the side which was going strongly were jolted by the injury scare as their skipper and the leading wicket-taker of the tournament Shadab Khan and other key players became unavailable for the side.

However, the latest reports are suggesting that the United skipper Shadab Khan and English explosive opener Alex Hales will be available for selection today in their fixture against Zalmi.

Furthermore, fast bowler Hassan Ali and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf will also undergo fitness tests prior to the match and might also be available for the match today.

These inclusions may result in a confidence booster for the side, that lost four out of their last five matches. Returning Shadab and Hales can play an important role to assist their side to bounce back strongly in the mega event.

The side also possesses the firepower in their middle-order as Azam Khan and Asif Ali can hit the ball big and can turn things around.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches-17, Peshawar Zalmi-9, Islamabad United-8

LAHORE: Usman Qadir and Sohail Khan of Peshawar Zalmi and Alex Hales of Islamabad United will be available to their teams for Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7’s first Eliminator. 

“In light of the amendments of Health and Safety Protocols, which were proposed by the six franchises and approved by the PCB after consultation with Medical Advisory Panel (MAP), Usman, Sohail (both PZ) and Alex (IU) are available for tonight’s Eliminator 1,” PCB released a statement.

Zalmi’s batting coach, Hashim Amla has also recovered from COVID-19 and will be in their dug-out during the first Eliminator.

On Wednesday, Multan Sultans beat Lahore Qalandars by 28 runs to qualify for PSL 7’s final. Sultans, under the captaincy of Mohammad Rizwan, qualified directly from Qualifier to the mega final for the second consecutive year.

READ: Sultans storm into PSL 7 final at the back of Dahani’s brilliance

LAHORE: The defending champions Multan Sultans carried their astonishing form to beat Lahore Qalandars by 28 runs in the qualifier of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7 and stormed into the final of the mega event.

Multan Sultans’ pacers Shahnawaz Dahani and David Willey triggered a match-defining collapse, causing the Qalandars to slip from 102-3 to 109-6 in the span of an over.

Qalandars’ lower-order then had no answers to the Sultans’ bowling attack and as a result, were restricted to 135-9 in the allotted 20 overs.

Qalandars’ in-form batter Fakhar Zaman and the top scorer also fell prey to the collapse and made his way back to the pavilion after Willey trapped him in legs for 63. The PSL 7 top-scorer faced only 45 deliveries in the course of his innings and smacked four sixes and two boundaries.

The rest of the Qalandars batters could not contribute significantly in the big match and only Kamran Ghulam followed back Fakhar with his 20.

For Sultans, Dahani bagged three wickets, while Willey claimed two. Rumman Raees, Asif Afridi, and Khushdil Shah, on the other hand, struck out a batter each.

After being put in to bat first, the Sultans finished at 163-2 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the fifties from Mohammad Rizwan and Rilee Rossouw.

Sultans, after starting off poorly; losing their in-form opener Shan Masood cheaply for two, bounced back and went on to post a commendable total in the PSL 7 qualifier.

With the side stranded at 3-1, Aamer Azmat joined Rizwan at the crease and recorded an important 47-runs partnership for the second wicket to anchor the innings. Azmat, who was looking solid could not keep going for long as Samit Patel got him stumped in the seventh over.

The young right-handed batter scored a quick 33 off 22 balls; smashing five boundaries. Following his departure, Rossouw and Rizwan then ran into an unbeaten 113-runs partnership.

The pair remained a touch too slow in the beginning, however, accelerated later in the innings. Rizwan scored 53 off 51 balls with the help of three boundaries, while Rossouw top-scored with 65 off 42 balls; smacking seven boundaries and a six.

For the Qalandars, Mohammad Hafeez and Patel made one scalp each.