Tag: PSL 8

RAWALPINDI: Quetta Gladiators’ opener Jason Roy has dubbed his heroic knock against Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League League season 8 the ‘best T20 inning’ of his life.

On Wednesday, Quetta Gladiators pulled off the highest-ever run chase in the PSL history, thanks to a majestic batting show held by Roy, who scored 63-ball 145 to help his team chase a mammoth 241.

“In T20 cricket it is one of my favourite-ever innings,” said Roy in a post-match press conference.

“Because I was there till the end. A lot of times in limited overs where I am batting as an opener I get out after 100. But tonight I was there at the end which is an incredible feeling for an opener” he explained.

He elaborated that such high-scoring matches were great additions to the PSL and the T20 cricket as they would attract many more kids to the game.

“I remember as a kid watching these sorts of matches really drew me to the game,” he remarked.

Revealing what was going through his mind when Zalmi posted 240 on board, Roy claimed there was not any sort of pressure on him or his opening partner, Martin Guptill when they were walking out of the dressing room to chase the massive target.

“We walked out very relaxed. We didn’t feel any pressure on our shoulders” said Roy who went on to score his second century in the PSL – the only overseas player to do so.

Talking about the atmosphere in the ground while he was smashing every other ball out of the park, Roy said, “on that wicket, with that crowd, it was electrifying. Had a really good time”

“Anytime you are chasing a target over 200, no matter what the pitch is, it is still an incredible feeling” he added.

“It is my best T20 inning ever. Surely it will live a long time in my memory” he reiterated.

English batter, however, also praised Babar Azam and Saim Ayub for the way they set the tone of the game, adding it was a special feeling for him to watch the star Pakistan batter playing one his best T20 innings.

“It’s the sort of stuff I used to watch on TV lots of times and to watch it first hand it was extremely special,” he maintained.

“He’s (Babar) a beautiful player to watch and helped extremely from the other end with his opening partner.”

READ: Sune Luus replaces Wolvaardt for remaining women’s exhibition matches

RAWALPINDI: South Africa’s Sune Luus will replace her compatriot Laura Wolvaardt in the Super Women’s squad for the remaining two Women’s League exhibition matches against Amazons at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on 10 and 11 March.

27-year-old Luus captained South Africa to the semi-final of the ICC Women’s World -Cup 2022 and the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.

Luus is 43^rd ranked batter in the world and has played 106 ODIs and 102 T20Is. In ODIs, she has scored 1,799 runs and taken 115 wickets, while in T20Is, she has scored 1,077 runs and taken 49 wickets. In 2016, Suun became the second player to score a half-century and take five wickets in an ODI, while in 2021, she become the 10^th player to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in ODIs.

Wolvaardt, who has been picked as a replacement player in an another franchise league, thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board for the opportunity to be part of the Women’s League exhibition matches.

“I want to thank the PCB for this opportunity to play in the Women’s League exhibition matches. It has been an incredible short journey, but I have loved the experience. The team has been amazing and I have felt so welcoming.

“I wish both sides the best of luck with rest of the series. I am sure both sides will strive hard and they will do well and learn a lot from the experience they will get from the matches.

“I cannot wait to return to Pakistan in September with the South Africa’s national women’s team and learning more about this amazing couintry.”

Updated squads:

Amazons – Bismah Maroof (captain), Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Areesha Noor, Danni Wyatt (England), Eyman Fatima, Fatima Khan, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Kainat Imtiaz, Laura Delany (Ireland), Maia Bouchier (England), Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Nawaz, Tammy Beaumont (England) and Tess Flintoff (Australia)

Super Women – Nida Dar (captain) Aimen Anwar, Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Iram Javed, Jahanara Alam (Bangladesh), Lauren Winfield-Hill (England), Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand), Muneeba Ali, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sune Luus (South Africa), Syeda Aroob Shah, Syeda Masooma Zahra, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani

Schedule:

10 Mar – 2^nd match, 2pm, Pindi Cricket Stadium. Shozab Raza and Humaira Farah (on-field umpires), Tariq Rasheed (third umpire) and Saleema Imtiaz (fourth umpire). Mohammad Anees (match referee)

11 Mar – 3^rd match, 2pm, Pindi Cricket Stadium.  Tariq Rasheed and Saleema Imtiaz (on-field umpires), Shozab Raza (third umpire) and Humaira Farah (fourth umpire). Mohammad Anees (match referee)

RAWALPINDI: Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam seemed a bit disheartened over the loss of his team despite scoring a mammoth 240, which also included his maiden PSL century, against Quetta Gladiators on Wednesday. 

Babar said his side’s bowling was not up to the mark in the game and they conceded more than 12 runs per over throughout the innings.

“We couldn’t bowl up to the expectations,” said Babar in a post-match conference after Gladiators sealed a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Zalmi in a high-scoring match of the Pakistan Super League season 8.

Quetta’s hard-hitting opener Jason Roy was invincible as he smacked a phenomenal 63-ball 145 to single-handedly crush Zalmi in the match.

“We applied everything in our bowling. But he (Jason Roy) was simply outstanding” confessed Babar.

However, Zalmi’s captain did not shy away from accepting their own mistakes with the ball and shared the blame equally on both – Roy’s blitz as well as Zalmi’s poor bowling – for the defeat of his team.

“We could not execute what we planned. You can say it was fifty-fifty. 50 per cent credit goes to his (Roy’s) innings and 50 per cent to our own bad bowling” he said.

“It is not just he played extraordinarily but we made mistakes too,” he added.

Furthermore, Babar stated that the next two matches will be crucial for the Zalmi following this defeat, as they currently sit on eight points in the standings and need at least one victory in two matches to qualify for the playoffs.

“We will sit and discuss where we can improve. God willing, we will try to score 280 in the next match” he quipped.

Moreover, Pakistan all-format captain Babar also lauded his opening partner at Zalmi, Saim Ayub, who has impressed with his superb batting performances and picturesque shots in the tournament.

The left-hander scored 74 from 34 balls in the match before scoring 36-ball 68 the other day against Lahore Qalandars.

“The way Saim batted, it was outstanding,” said Zalmi captain.

“As a captain of the Pakistan team, I have my eyes on every top performer in the league,” remarked Babar when asked whether he was keen to give Saim a breakthrough in the national team after watching him closely.

He added all the players performing at the PSL needed to establish themselves a bit more.

“It is too early to comment on T20 World Cup 2024” he replied to a question about incorporating the top PSL performers in Pakistan’s T20I side before the mega event next year.

“We should not haste and hype the players so quickly. Let them perform for some more time” he concluded.

READ: Motie leads West Indies fightback against South Africa in 2nd Test

 

RAWALPINDI: Numerous records bite the dust as Quetta Gladiators downed Peshawar Zalmi in the must-win Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight clash on Wednesday.

After struggling with the bat in the initial fixtures, Gladiators’ hard-hitting opener Jason Roy announced his comeback in style as the right-handed batter powered his side to pull off a miraculous victory over Zalmi with a marathon 145-run knock in the run chase.

With his scintillating match-winning knock, Roy registered the highest-ever individual score in PSL history, trumping Karachi Kings’ Colin Ingram’s 127 not out against Gladiators in 2019.

Roy also became the first overseas player in PSL to score two centuries in the league’s history. His century was also the second-fastest in the league’s history.

English opener’s astonishing knock powered Gladiators to pull off the highest-ever run chase in PSL history, breaking the previous record of Multan Sultans, who successfully chased down 209 against Lahore Qalandars in the previous edition.

The historic pursuit was also the second-highest successful chase in domestic T20s and the fourth-highest in all T20s.

The Gladiators also bettered the third-highest total of PSL history by scoring 243/2 which Zalmi put up in the first innings as they finished at 240/2.

Meanwhile, despite being a forgetful night for him as a captain, Babar Azam unlocked a long-awaited achievement for himself as the star batter struck his maiden century in the extravaganza.

With his magnificent knock, Babar scored his eighth century in T20s and is only behind T20 great Chris Gayle, who scored 22 tons in his iconic career.

READ: Roy ton pulls off miraculous win over Zalmi as Gladiators stay alive

RAWALPINDI: Hard-hitting opener Jason Roy’s marathon 145-run knock trumped Babar Azam’s maiden Pakistan Super League (PSL) century as Quetta Gladiators pulled off the highest run chase to down Peshawar Zalmi by eight wickets and stayed alive in the playoff contention.

The Gladiators had a mountain to climb to stay alive in the tournament as the former champions needed to pull off the highest-ever run chase and eventually they did so with 10 balls to spare at the back of a scintillating knock by Roy.

In pursuit of 241, the Gladiators’ openers Martin Guptill and Roy gave their side a flying start as they straight away charged on Zalmi bowlers; raising 40 runs in the third over.

Roy was the core aggressor of the Gladiators’ counterattack but his partner Guptill also began to catch up before Wahab Riaz outdid him with a short-pitch delivery. He scored a brisk eight-ball 21 including three boundaries and a six.

Following the early setback, Will Smeed joined his countrymate in the middle and the pair stitched a match-defining 109-run partnership for the second wicket and made sure to score at a rapid pace.

Roy once again led the charge of yet another partnership while Smeed anchored the run chase before falling victim to Mujeeb Ur Rehman in the 12th over. He scored 26 off 22, hitting a boundary and two sixes.

The Gladiators needed 91 off the last eight overs when Mohammad Hafeez came out to bat.

The experienced batter wasted no time in settling down and opened his account with a boundary on the first ball. The right-handed batter then brought all his experience in play to support Roy, who was turning it into a nightmare for Zalmi.

The pair then prevailed in steering their side to victory and pulled off the highest run chase with 10 balls to spare as Zalmi bowlers remained clueless.

Roy played a marathon knock and registered the highest individual score in PSL history with a 63-ball 145, beefed up whopping 20 boundaries and five gigantic sixes.

Hafeez, on the other hand, also played a crucial cameo; scoring brisk 41 runs in 18 balls with the help of six boundaries and two sixes.

For Zalmi, Wahab and Mujeeb could pick up a wicket as the rest went for plenty and wicketless.

Opting to bat first against Gladiators, who took the field without their regular captain Sarfaraz Ahmed in a must-win clash, Zalmi openers Saim Ayub and Babar gave their bowlers a ruthless thrashing as the pair recorded the second-highest PSL partnership for any wicket.

Saim remained the core aggressor of his record partnership with Babar – who was by no mean sparing any delivery in his zone – and smashed the Gladiators’ bowlers all over the park with clean hitting.

The pair looked in great control to tumble the long-standing record of the then Karachi Kings’ opening pair of Babar and Sharjeel Khan’s 176 against Islamabad United but Dwaine Pretorius provided a much-needed breakthrough for the Gladiators by dismissing Saim with a slower ball.

Saim fell 15 runs short of what could have been his maiden PSL century as he played a quickfire 85-run knock in just 34 deliveries, smashing six boundaries and five sixes.

Zalmi promoted Rovman Powell up the order to continue the flow of runs and the hard-hitting batter justified his move as he supported Babar brilliantly with his cameo.

Meanwhile, Babar continued his utter domination with his strokeplay and brought up his long-awaited maiden PSL century when he clobbered Naseem Shah’s length delivery through wide cover to reach the milestone.

The Zalmi skipper continued his centurion knock till the final over thanks to some sloppy efforts by the Gladiators’ fielders in the deep before Aimal Khan finally ran him out.

Babar top-scored for the Zalmi with an astounding knock of 115 runs in just 65 balls, laced up with 15 boundaries and three sixes.

Powell then made sure of a strong end to a dominating effort as he, with some help from Tom Kohler-Cadmore (seven off three), powered Zalmi to their highest total in PSL history.

The right-handed batter played a vital cameo of 35 runs off 18 deliveries, which featured three boundaries and two sixes.

For the hapless Gladiators’ bowling attack, only Pretorius could pick up a wicket.

RAWALPINDI: Peshawar Zalmi have won the toss and opted to bat first against Quetta Gladiators in the 25th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

PLAYING XIs

Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Rovman Powell, Haseebullah Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Wahab Riaz, Aamir Jamal, Arshad Iqbal, Mujeeb Ur Rehman.

Quetta Gladiators: Martin Guptill, Jason Roy, Will Smeed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz (c), Umar Akmal, Dwaine Pretorius, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Aimal Khan.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 20, Peshawar Zalmi 12, Quetta Gladiators 8

RAWALPINDI: Bismah Maroof-led Amazons won the toss and elected to bat first against Nida Dar-led Super Women in the first exhibition match of the Women’s League, here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. 

Playing XIs: 

Amazons: Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Bismah Maroof (C), Maia Bouchier, Aliya Riaz, Tess Flintoff, Gull Feroza, Fatima Khan, Fatima Sana, Anam Amin, Nashra Sandhu

Super Women: Nida Dar (c), Muneeba Ali, Chamari Athapaththu, Laura Wolvaardt, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Iram Javed, Umme Hani, Tuba Hasan, Lea Tahuhu, Syeda Masooma Zehra, Sadia Iqbal

LAHORE: Pakistan veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik has extended his completed support to Women’s League exhibition matches, calling it ‘an excellent opportunity to create a level playing field and promote gender equality in sports. 

For the first time in the country, three women’s exhibition matches will be played between Bismah Maroof-led Amazaons and Nida Dar-led Super Women, commencing on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8. The second and third matches will take place on March 10 and 11 respectively.

Karachi Kings’ star Shoaib believes the matches will give a ‘much-needed platform to showcase the immense talent and potential of women cricketers.’

“I am thrilled to see the inclusion of women’s league exhibition matches in the  PSL 8,” said Shoaib talking to PCB Digital.

“It will provide a much-needed platform to showcase the immense talent and potential of women cricketers. This is an excellent opportunity to create a level playing field and encourage gender equality in sports.”

He added, “by promoting women’s cricket in Pakistan, we can inspire the next generation of athletes and help them realise their dreams. I fully support this initiative and hope to see the women’s league grow from strength to strength in the years to come.”

The women’s matches will start at 2pm and will be followed by the PSL fixtures at 7pm. All three exhibition matches will be staged at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

A total of 10 leading foreign players from seven countries will represent the two teams during the women’s exhibition games – billed as the soft launch of the Pakistan Women’s League, tentatively planned for September.

Ireland’s Laura Delany, England’s trio of Lauren Winfield-Hill, Maia Bouchier and Tammy Beaumont, and Australia’s Tess Flintoff are part of Amazons.

Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, Danni Wyatt of England, Jahanara Alam of Bangladesh, South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt and Lea Tahuhu of New Zealand represents Super Women.

Squads:

Amazons: Bismah Maroof (c), Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Areesha Noor, Eyman Fatima, Fatima Khan, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Kainat Imtiaz, Laura Delany (Ireland), Lauren Winfield-Hill (England), Maia Bouchier (England), Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Tammy Beaumont (England), Tess Flintoff (Australia) and Umm-e-Hani.

Super Women: Nida Dar (c) Aimen Anwar, Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Danni Wyatt (England), Iram Javed, Jahanara Alam (Bangladesh), Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand), Muneeba Ali, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Syeda Aroob Shah, Syeda Masooma Zahra and Tuba Hassan.

READ: Chelsea see off Dortmund to reach Champions League quarter-finals

RAWALPINDI: Faheem Ashraf’s astounding six off Mohammad Ilyas in the final over of the high-scoring thriller between Islamabad United and Multan Sultans left commentator Simon Doull stunned.

In a tense final over with United needing 18 off it, Sultans’ skipper Mohammad Rizwan handed over the ball to right-arm pacer Ilyas.

Despite Sultans being the favourite to win the crucial match, nervousness was on display by the bowler as he bowled a wide first-up to start off.

Ilyas then fired in another wide yorker which Faheem attempted to work towards the leg-side but an under-edge took the ball past the keeper to fine leg for a lucky boundary.

After conceding a boundary, skipper Rizwan tried to console his bowler, who then looked to go for another wide yorker but went a bit too fuller only for Faheem to manoeuvring the wide full toss over the third man for an astonishing six.

Signing off for tonight with this mystery!

Name this shot by the star of tonight’s chase @iFaheemAshraf 👇#IUvMS #HBLPSL8 Gif: @taimoorze https://t.co/BoTlLU4N5x

— Islamabad United (@IsbUnited) March 7, 2023

 

Faheem’s six stunned the renowned commentator Doull, whose open-mouthed reaction in the commentary box displayed his disbelief at the stroke.

Simon doull reaction on Faheem's six 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ydEbe9FWSQ

— junaiz (@dhillow_) March 7, 2023

 

Following a wide and two back-to-back boundaries, the United then needed seven off four with Faheem breathing fire. The all-rounder took a couple before smashing successive boundaries to pull off the second-highest run chase in Pakistan Super League (PSL) history with a ball to spare.

Furthermore, before Faheem’s heroics, no side had ever chased 18 runs off the final over in the league’s history.

READ: Faheem’s heroics deny Sultans playoff berth as United prevail

RAWALPINDI: Faheem Ashraf’s astounding 51-run knock barred Multan Sultans from qualifying for the playoff as Islamabad United pulled off the second-highest successful run chase of Pakistan Super League (PSL) history.

Set to chase the second-highest total in the league’s history, United witnessed valuable efforts from their skipper Shadab Khan and all-rounder Faheem to seal an astounding victory by two wickets and a ball to spare.

Earlier, the two-time champions were off to a dismal start to the pursuit as the hosts lost their in-form opener Alex Hales (1) for a combined score of 17 runs in the third over.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz continued charging on the Sultans’ bowlers with his brief cameo of 14-ball 25 before Anwar Ali struck again for the visitors.

Following back-to-back setbacks, skipper Shadab joined hands with in-form Colin Munro and stitched a crucial partnership for the third wicket and added 59 runs.

Munro appeared on song to score another half-century but Usama Mir castled the explosive batter to roar back his side’s comeback in the run chase. He scored 40 in just 21 balls with the help of four boundaries and three sixes.

The home side then dealt a major blow as their another in-form batter Azam Khan (3) perished cheaply as Usama struck again in his next over.

With their side in heaps of trouble, Faheem joined Shadab in the middle and put on an anchoring 39-run partnership for the fifth wicket before the latter fell victim to Ihsanullah.

Shadab scored a brisk 25-ball 44, smashing three boundaries and as many sixes.

The United then began to lose wickets at regular intervals and eventually slipped to 187/8 in the 19th over before needing 18 runs in the final over with Faheem on strike.

The all-rounder held his nerves calm in the final over and powered United to an astonishing victory as he chased down the target for his side with a ball to spare, hitting three boundaries and a six.

Faheem top-scored for United with an unbeaten 51 in just 26 balls, hitting five boundaries and two sixes.

Anwar led the bowling attack for the Sultans with 3/33 while Ihsanullah and Usama bagged two wickets each. Abbas Afridi, on the other hand, struck out a batter.

Put into bat first, the Sultans piled a massive total on the board at the back of fantastic knocks by Masood and David.

Earlier, the dependable opening pair of Sultans once again laid a solid foundation as the duo accumulated 57 runs in the first powerplay.

United’s skipper Shadab Khan, however, struck on the first delivery of his spell to break the crucial partnership as he got rid of the danger man Mohammad Rizwan, who scored a brisk 18-ball 33, hitting a boundary and three sixes.

Shadab then struck again in his third over to draw second success for his side as he removed in-form Rilee Rossouw cheaply for just 15.

Following the slump, David joined Masood in the middle and wasted no time launching an onslaught on the United’s bowlers. The pair stitched a match-defining third wicket and added 80 runs to the total in just 38 deliveries.

David was the core aggressor of the stand and soon brought up his half-century in just 20 deliveries after Faheem Ashraf broke the threatening stand by removing Shan.

The left-handed opener top-scored for the Sultans with a 50-ball 75, which featured 12 boundaries.

David continued charging on the United bowlers before falling to Mohammad Wasim Jr in the final over. He scored a brisk 60 off a mere 27 balls, hitting four boundaries and five sixes.

Meanwhile, Wasim Jr struck again and removed David Miller (11) on the final delivery of the last over to restrict Sultans to 205/5 in the allotted 20 overs.

Shadab and Wasim Jr led the bowling attack for the United with two wickets each, while Faheem could pick up a wicket.