Tag: PSL

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.

LAHORE: A robbery was reported at former cricketer Mohammad Hafeez’s house here late Sunday, ARY News Reported.

According to the details, the intruders stormed into the cricketer’s house from the rare entrance before breaking into the former cricketer’s room to steal foreign currency, worth millions of rupees.

Following the unfortunate incident, the uncle of Hafeez’s wife lodged First Information Report (FIR) at the Defence Police Station.

As per the FIR, the robbers looted foreign currency – 20,000 US Dollars, 4,000 Pounds, 3,000 Euros and 5,000 AED – alongside the cricketer’s wife’s jewellery.

Notably, Hafeez is currently in Rawalpindi as he is representing Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight, while his wife is also in the capital city.

Meanwhile, the police have started the investigation after taking the CCTV footage into the record.

READ: New Zealand stand in way of Sri Lanka’s world Test final quest

RAWALPINDI: Home side Islamabad United have won the toss and chose to field first against Multan Sultans in the 24th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

PLAYING XIs

Islamabad United: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mubasir Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Rumman Raees, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (c), Rilee Rossouw, Tim David, David Miller, Kieron Pollard, Usama Mir, Anwar Ali, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ilyas, Ihsanullah.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 12, Multan Sultans 7, Islamabad United 5

ISLAMABAD: Amazons and Super Women – the two teams locking horns in the Women’s League exhibition matches – held a final training session ahead of their first clash, scheduled on Wednesday.

According to the details, the squads of both teams held a rigorous training session at Islamabad Cricket Club and finalized their preparations for the three exhibition matches, commencing tomorrow.

Furthermore, all 10 foreign players participating in the exhibition games also partook in their respective team’s training sessions.

Taking to Twitter, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared glimpses from the teams’ training session.

“A productive training session. The players are ready to shine at the Women’s League exhibition matches,” wrote PCB.

A productive training session 🏏

The players are ready to shine at the Women's League exhibition matches ✨#LevelPlayingField pic.twitter.com/lXqONrfRYJ

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 7, 2023

 

The exhibition matches will be played between Bismah Maroof-led Amazaons and Nida Dar-led Super Women at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on 8, 10 and 11 March ahead of the Pakistan Super League season 8 fixtures.

“The two participating teams are Amazons and Super Women. The women’s matches will start at 1400 PKT and will be played in the lead up to the men’s fixtures in the HBL PSL 8 matches. Peshawar Zalmi will take on Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans on 8 and 10 March, respectively, while, Quetta Gladiators will meet Multan Sultans on 11 March,” stated PCB.

“As such, tickets for three men’s HBL PSL matches will be valid for the women’s fixture with the stands on these match days to open three hours before the first ball is bowled,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, 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.

READ: Karachi Kings’ Tabraiz Shamsi signs off from PSL 8

ISLAMABAD: Karachi Kings’ star spinner Tabraiz Shamsi have signed off from the Pakistan Super League season 8 to fulfil his national duty. 

South Africa’s Shamsi bid farewell to his inaugural PSL season after Karachi Kings’ narrow defeat against Quetta Gladiators on Monday. Shamsi is set to leave for his home country to play three-match T20I series against West Indies, later this month.

The left-arm spinner on PSL debut played a pivotal role in his team’s triumph over the then table-toppers Multan Sultans, picking up three wickets.

Shamsi left an impact with his four-match stint for the Kings in PSL 8 as he picked up seven wickets at an average of just 14.71.

Taking to Twitter, the South African spinner thanked his franchise before signing off from the ongoing extravaganza to fulfil his national duty.

“Thanks a lot to [Karachi Kings] for having me as part of the squad. I had a great first experience of the [PSL 8],” wrote Shamsi.

Thanks a lot to @KarachiKingsARY for having me as part of the squad. I had a great first experience of the @thePSLt20

Time to head back home for country duty 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/z2iIeI6Rwu

— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) March 7, 2023

 

It is worth mentioning that ahead of their home T20I series against West Indies, Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday named a strong 15-member squad, led by Aiden Markram.

READ: Saim, Babar star as Zalmi set Qalandars to chase 208

RAWALPINDI: Karachi Kings’ rising stars Tayyab Tahir, Qasim Akram and Ifran Khan Niazi impressed Ravi Bopara with their all-round brilliance amid his stint as the assistant batting coach of the team in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

Bopara spoke to the media here after the Kings’ narrow four-wicket defeat against Gladiators and highlighted the positives from his coaching role stint as he heaped praises on the young talent.

“I’ve been very impressed with the youngsters, they’re very good boys, always happy, very joyful and got a lot of energy. Tahir has really impressed me with his shot selection, his power and you can see in the field that he’s a really good fielder, which is everything you need as a batter. Hopefully, a very big future for himself,” stated Bopara.

“Qasim Akram also looks a class player, he’s got all the attributes and also we didn’t get the opportunity to see his bowling because he’s actually a really good off-spinner as well. Let’s not forget Niazi, he’s shown how good is he in the field and he’s got a couple of good knocks. So, very excited for those three boys,” he added.

Bopara then revealed the reason behind his team sequentially falling short in the last five overs of the matches and lamented the shortage of a death bowling specialist.

“It’s not a problem that you can fix overnight. Death bowling is a special skill for which you have particular players,” said Bopara.

“Amir is one of the best death bowlers in Pakistan and he is a specialist in that position. But, in any T20 side now, you need two guys who can do that and also another guy who is relatively good at it. Unfortunately, we don’t have a second guy who could do as good as Amir,” he added.

The Kings’ assistant batting coach then advised the bowlers to learn different ways of bowling death overs as he asserted that it was not realistic to expect six yorkers in an over by any bowler.

“The best yorker bowler of all time in any cricket was [Lasith] Malinga and his average was four yorkers per over, even he couldn’t land six in six. He might, in odd over, land six in six but his average was four,” said Bopara.

“So, if we’re being realistic, no one else is gonna do that, we expect people to hit five to six yorkers in an over but that’s not gonna happen. So, you just could work out other ways of bowling death overs like a slower ball, a good bouncer or be smart with your lines to keep the batters guessing,” he maintained.

It is worth mentioning that Martin Guptill’s astonishing 86-run knock powered Gladiators to edge Kings in a nail-biter.

Both Kings and Gladiators remained at the fifth and sixth spot respectively, following the outcome of the match.

RAWALPINDI: Experienced opener Martin Guptill played a magnificent 86-run knock under pressure and held his nerves calm to bolster Quetta Gladiators to edge Karachi Kings by four wickets in a low-scoring thriller.

The Gladiators completed the 165-run pursuit on the second-last delivery of the innings at the back of a scintillating 86-run unbeaten knock by Guptill.

The Gladiators were off to a poor start to the run chase as young opener Omair Bin Yousuf, failed to make an impact on debut and scored just eight off six deliveries.

All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz was promoted to bat at number three but failed to justify the move as his stay at the crease also remained brief. He could score 15 off 14 before falling victim to Musa Khan.

The Gladiators then lost three more wickets in quick succession as Iftikhar Ahmed (4), Najibullah Zadran (1) and Umar Akmal (9) perished cheaply; resulting in their side slip to 63/5 in the 10th over.

Following the slump, Guptill and Sarfaraz Ahmed began Gladiators’ recovery in the run chase before the former switched gears and started to dominate the Kings’ bowlers.

The pair brought the Gladiators back in control with their 95-run partnership before a mixup on the second delivery of the final over drew curtains on Sarfaraz’s gritty 25-ball 29.

Sarfaraz’s dismissal glimmered a ray of hope for the Kings but Dwaine Pretorius wasted no time and steered his side over the line with a crucial cameo of 10 runs in just three deliveries.

Guptill carried his bat all the way through and top-scored for the Gladiators with a sensational 56-ball 86, hitting nine boundaries and four sixes.

Tabraiz Shamsi led the bowling attack for the Kings with two wickets, while Yamin, James Fuller and Musa made one scalp each.

Put into bat first, the Kings managed to accumulate a decent total on the board at the back of an anchoring fifty by Rossington, followed by a late onslaught by Imad Wasim and Yamin.

Earlier, the Kings got off to an unwanted start as the side lost their hard-hitting opener, Matthew Wade, for a golden duck on the first delivery of the innings; courtesy of a beautiful outswinger by Naseem Shah.

Tayyab Tahir then looked to settle things down as he stitched a crucial 25-run partnership with Rossington but Aimal Khan struck in his first over to send him back to the pavilion.

With Kings losing two wickets in the first powerplay, Rossington stood up for his team and put on a gritty third-wicket partnership with Qasim Akram.

Rossington was the core aggressor of the 33-run stand while Qasim was holding his ground firm until Aimal dismissed him to draw third success for the Gladiators. Qasim could score eight off 10 deliveries.

The Kings then dealt a major blow in the 12th over when Mohammad Nawaz dismissed experienced Shoaib Malik, who scored 13 off 15.

Kings’ in-form skipper Imad then joined Rossington in the middle and scripted an astounding recovery for his side as the pair took the Gladiators’ bowlers to the cleaners.

Naveen-ul-Haq, however, provided Gladiators with a much-needed breakthrough in the 17th over when he removed Rossington with a short-pitch delivery.

The wicketkeeper batter top-scored for the Kings with a 45-ball 69, which featured 10 boundaries and a six.

The Kings then lost another wicket in the next over when Naseem castled James Fuller with a ruthless yorker and pushed the opposition into trouble.

However, an astonishing seventh-wicket partnership between Yamin and Imad, bolstered Kings to a respectable total of 164/6 as the pair dominated the Gladiators’ bowlers at the backend.

The duo raised brisk 33 runs in the last 15 balls of the innings with Yamin leading the charge with his magnificent unbeaten cameo of 23 in 11 deliveries, laced up with a boundary and two sixes.

Imad, on the other hand, remained unbeaten on a 20-ball 30, which included three boundaries and a six.

Naseem and Aimal led the bowling attack of the Gladiators with two wickets each, while Nawaz and Naveen picked up a wicket each.

RAWALPINDI: The glittering trophy of the upcoming three Women’s League exhibition matches, has been unveiled here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

According to the details, former Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof and experienced all-rounder Nida Dar, who will lead Amazons and Super Women respectively in the upcoming exhibition matches, unveiled the silverware on the sideline of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

Both captains Bismah and Nida also interacted with the media in a pre-match conference ahead of today’s PSL 8 fixture between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators.

Taking to Twitter, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared pictures of the two captains posing with the prestigious trophy.

“The two captains pose with the prestigious trophy for the Women’s League exhibition matches,” wrote PCB.

📸 The two captains pose with the prestigious trophy for the Women's League exhibition matches 🏆

Amazons or Super Women – which team are you supporting❓#LevelPlayingField pic.twitter.com/0ARhjiWRSM

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 6, 2023

 

The three exhibition matches will take place on March 8, 10 and 11 at 2 PM and will be followed by the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8 games at 7 PM.

Earlier, the PCB also revealed a panel of 11 commentators and two presenters for the three exhibition games.

Sana Mir, Urooj Mumtaz, Marina Iqbal, Waqar Younis, Alan Wilkins, Bazid Khan, Danny Morrison, Daren Ganga, Mark Butcher, Sikandar Bakht and Simon Doull named in the commentary panel, while Zainab Abbas and Erin Holland will be the presenters.

Meanwhile, 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.

READ: Aiden Markram replaces Temba Bavuma as South Africa T20I captain

RAWALPINDI: Experienced opener Martin Guptill played a magnificent 86-run knock under pressure and held his nerves calm to bolster Quetta Gladiators to edge Karachi Kings by four wickets in a low-scoring thriller.

QG 168/6 (19.5 Overs)

Yamin to bowl the final over

QG 157/5 (19 Overs)

Amir to bowl the 19th

QG 146/5 (18 Overs)

Musa comes to bowl

QG 132/5 (17 Overs)

Fuller comes to bowl his last

QG 108/5 (16 Overs)

Amir comes back

QG 97/5 (15 Overs)

Shamsi comes back, to bowl his last

QG 92/5 (14 Overs)

Musa continues

QG 86/5 (13 Overs)

Imad Wasim comes to bowl his first

QG 80/5 (12 Overs)

Musa replaces Fuller

QG 67/5 (11 Overs)

Shamsi comes again

QG 64/5 (10 Overs)

Fuller comes again

QG 58/4 (9 Overs)

Shamsi continues

QG 50/3 (8 Overs)

Fuller continues

QG 48/3 (7 Overs)

Tabraiz Shamsi brought in

QG 43/2 (6 Overs)

James Fuller into the attack

QG 37/2 (5 Overs)

Mohammad Musa comes into the attack

QG 26/1 (4 Overs)

Yamin continues

QG 21/1 (3 Overs)

Amir continues

QG 15/1 (2 Overs)

Aamer Yamin to bowl from the other end

QG 10/0 (1 Over)

Omair Bin Yousuf and Martin Guptill come out to open for the Gladiators, Mohammad Amir to bowl the first over.

KARACHI KINGS vs QUETTA GLADIATORS (2nd INNINGS)

RAWALPINDI: Wicketkeeper batter Adam Rossington struck a magnificent half-century before a late onslaught by skipper Imad Wasim and Aamer Yamin propelled Karachi Kings to 164/6 against Quetta Gladiators in the 22nd match of the Pakistan Super League.

KK 164/6 (20 Overs)

Pretorius to bowl the final over

KK 154/6 (19 Overs)

Naveen to bowl the 19th

KK 136/6 (18 Overs)

Naseem continues, to bowl his last

KK 127/5 (17 Overs)

Naveen comes back

KK 123/4 (16 Overs)

Naseem replaces Aimal

KK 113/4 (15 Overs)

Nawaz comes to bowl his last

KK 107/4 (14 Overs)

Aimal replaces Nawaz

KK 92/4 (13 Overs)

Pretorius comes back

KK 80/4 (12 Overs)

11.2: Tossed on a length from round the wicket angle, Shoaib premeditates, puts on the dancing shoes and muscles it over mid-on, didn’t get the desired elevation and distance and fired it straight to Umar Akmal, who pouches it safely.

Nawaz replaces Pretorius

KK 77/3 (11 Overs)

Naveen replaces Naseem

KK 71/3 (10 Overs)

Pretorius replaces Aimal

KK 64/3 (9 Overs)

Naseem replaces Nawaz

KK 60/3 (8 Overs)

7.3: Aimal bowls a shortish ball outside off, Qasim plays an upper-cut off the backfoot and he steers it to Naseem Shah at deep backward point who takes a brilliant catch, tumbles to the ground but hangs onto it.

Aimal replaces Naveen

KK 57/2 (7 Overs)

Nawaz replaces Pretorius

KK 53/2 (6 Overs)

Naveen-ul-Haq comes into the attack

KK 37/2 (5 Overs)

Dwaine Pretorius comes in

KK 27/2 (4 Overs)

3.3: Aimal bowls a shorter delivery and Tayyab mistimes the slog and it goes straight to Naveen-ul-Haq at deep square.

Aimal continues

KK 23/1 (3 Overs)

Mohammad Nawaz comes into the attack

KK 13/1 (2 Overs)

Aimal Khan to bowl from the other end

KK 9/1 (1 Over)

0.1: Naseem Shah darts in a brute delivery on a shorter length, that’s a lovely line, with a hint of movement it draws the outside edge of Matthew Wade’s bat and through to the keeper.

Adam Rossington and Matthew Wade come out to open for Karachi Kings. Naseem Shah to bowl the first over.

KARACHI KINGS vs QUETTA GLADIATORS (1st INNINGS)

RAWALPINDI: Quetta Gladiators have won the toss and opted to bowl first against Karachi Kings in the 22nd match of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

PLAYING XI

Karachi Kings: Adam Rossington, Matthew Wade, Tayyab Tahir, Shoaib Malik, Qasim Akram, Imad Wasim (c), James Fuller, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mohammad Musa

Quetta Gladiators: Martin Guptill, Omair Yousuf, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Iftikhar Ahmed, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nawaz, Umar Akmal, Dwaine Pretorius, Naseem Shah, Naveen-ul-Haq.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 15, Quetta Gladiators 10, Karachi Kings 5