Tag: Lahore Qalandars

  • Pakistani citizenship sought for Qalandars’ Ben Dunk

    Pakistani citizenship sought for Qalandars’ Ben Dunk

    Commentator and former Pakistani cricketing star Ramiz Raja has sought honorary citizenship for Lahore Qalandars’ hard-hitting batsman Ben Dunk, who on Sunday trashed Karachi Kings with his match-winning 99 off 40 balls.

    In a YouTube video, Raja heaped praise upon Australia’s Dunk for his blistering innings against the Kings, suggesting that Pakistan team would benefit from Dunk’s talent if he became a Pakistani citizen.

    “Pakistan has long been missing a hard-hitter like Dunk,” he said.

    “I think the Pakistani government should give him [Dunk] honorary citizenship. We should make him play for Pakistan because my wish is to see a Pakistani batsmen do similar kind of power-hitting. We haven’t seen any Pakistani batsman do this kind of hitting except for Shadab Khan this season.”

    The report comes days after it was announced that West Indian star and captain of Peshawar Zalmi, Darren Sammy, will be given the highest civil award — Nishan-e-Pakistan — and honorary citizenship of the country by President Arif Alvi on March 23 for his “invaluable contribution to cricket in Pakistan”.

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had taken to Twitter to announce it.

    On February 19, the team’s owner Javed Afridi had said the franchise had put in a request to the president to grant the Zalmi skipper honorary citizenship of Pakistan and requested PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani to pursue it personally so that the application is approved.

  • VIDEO: ‘Hor koi saday laiq?’ asks Ben Dunk after match-winning 99 for Lahore

    With Lahore Qalandars star Ben Dunk racking up match-winning 99 runs off just 40 balls as the team played Karachi Kings at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, the Australian cricketer has released a video message for fans, asking in Punjabi if there’s anything else he can do for them.

    “Hor koi saday laiq [anything else you want done]?” Dunk, who sent the ball flying a massive 12 times, including the final shot of the match, has said in the video message released after Qalandars chased down the 188-run target set by the Kings.

    Skipper Sohail Akhtar was the other big hitter who scored 68 off 46 deliveries.

    Both the Qalandars’ batsmen remained standing till the end of the innings, which came at 19.1 overs.

    The sole two wickets claimed by the Karachi Kings were those of Fakhar Zaman, bowled out by Mohammad Amir for a duck, and Mohammad Hafeez (16 runs off 24 balls) caught by Cameron Delport off Umer Khan’s delivery.

    The outcome has given both sides a decent chance to qualify for the top four. Karachi Kings are placed at the fourth spot with seven points while Lahore Qalandars are in the fifth place with six points.

  • Fawad Rana to sell Lahore Qalandars?

    Fawad Rana to sell Lahore Qalandars?

    Former Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Ahmed has said that Lahore Qalandars’ owner Fawad Rana might sell his franchise after another disappointing performance in the fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Cricket Pakistan reported.

    Islamabad United defeated Lahore Qalandars by 71 runs on Wednesday, which is the biggest victory margin, in terms of runs, in the history of the PSL. The previous biggest winning margin was 67 runs achieved by Quetta Gladiators against Karachi Kings in 2018.

    “If things don’t change, Fawad might sell his franchise to someone else. The franchise spends a lot of money every year and conducts nation-wide talent hunt trials but the team disappoints on the field every season,” said Ahmed in a YouTube video.

    “What’s the point of trials if the team does not perform?” he asked while also criticising Lahore’s decision to include opener Salman Butt in the lineup in Fakhar Zaman’s place.

    “Salman Butt is not a T20 specialist and it made no sense to include him in the playing XI at the expense of Fakhar Zaman,” he said, adding that Qalandars were doing pretty well in powerplay overs even with out-of-form Zaman not performing.  

    Lahore Qalandars, who are currently at the bottom of the PSL V table with just one win in five games, will next be playing defending champions Quetta Gladiators at 7 pm on Saturday. Their maiden and only win from Tuesday was also against Quetta.

  • ‘Naraz Ho?’: Islamabad United pokes fun at Lahore Qalandars

    ‘Naraz Ho?’: Islamabad United pokes fun at Lahore Qalandars

    With Lahore Qalandars failing to gain winning momentum after being crushed by 71 runs in the match against twice champions Islamabad United, the latter have poked fun at the former for losing their fourth match out of the total five they have played so far.

    “Naraz ho? @lahoreqalandars,” tweeted Islamabad as Lahore struggled to chase a huge target of 199 runs. The Qalandars were all out for 127 in 18.5 overs.

    Earlier, only four of Lahore Qalandars’ batsmen could get into double figures — Usman Shinwari (30), Ben Dunk (25), Salman Butt (21) and Mohammad Hafeez (10).

    For Islamabad, left-arm paceman Rumman Raees and left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar claimed three wickets each for 29 and 31, respectively, while skipper Shadab Khan took two wickets.

    United had plundered a big score of 197 for the loss of only three wickets after being put to bat. Luke Ronchi and Colin Munro provided a fine start with an opening wicket stand of 103 runs.

    Colin Munro top-scored with an unbeaten 87 — eight fours and three sixes during his 59-ball innings –, which contributed to Islamabad’s third victory in six matches of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020.

  • Shoaib Akhtar says Fakhar Zaman ‘does not have a brain’

    Shoaib Akhtar says Fakhar Zaman ‘does not have a brain’

    Former Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar has slammed Fakhar Zaman for being “reckless and not putting his hand up while performing for his side in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL)”.

    Akhtar’s remarks came after Zaman, who is playing for Lahore Qalandars, struggled to hit any form in the competition. The left-hander had scored 76 runs in four games, with an average of 24.66 and a strike-rate of 125.42 in the first three matches with 74 runs.

    “The person who doesn’t have a brain is Fakhar Zaman. When you have one player [Chris Lynn] who is already playing fast, then Fakhar needs to understand that he can slow down a bit,” Akhtar said in a YouTube video as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

    “Chris Lynn is not some Viv Richards. Lynn plays well where there is equal bounce like Australia. He is good aggressive player, but you need just one aggressive player like that.

    “Qalandars batting line-up is made up of similar kind of batsmen who just believes in senseless hitting. You can play aggressively and take chances in the powerplay, but in the next 14 overs you need to know how to anchor the innings, take quick singles and then finish well.”

    Shoaib Akhtar, who never minces his words, has been critical of Zaman earlier too. When Pakistan lost to India in the World Cup clash last year, he questioned his technique and the way Zaman reacted to pressure.

    Qalandars will tonight be playing two-time champions of the PSL, Islamabad United, for the second time in the ongoing tournament.

  • Grant Elliott is having a blast in Pakistan and here is proof

    Grant Elliott is having a blast in Pakistan and here is proof

    Former New Zealand cricketer, Grant Elliott, who made PSL history with his iconic bat drop during the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 may not be making any sixes on the field for Lahore Qalandars this year but he’s definitely winning the Dubsmash game and is having a blast in Pakistan with his fellow commentators Azhar Ali and Fakhre Alam.

    Watch the video to see what we’re talking about.

    In case your memory needs a refresher, here is his epic bat drop moment.

    Earlier, he had also posted a picture of himself after getting a haircut at Karachi’s renowned hair salon for men Clippers.

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  • Daren Sammy offers match tickets to sobbing Qalandars’ fan

    Daren Sammy offers match tickets to sobbing Qalandars’ fan

    Karachi Kings’ coach Dean Jones and Peshawar Zalmi captain Darren Sammy retweeted a video of an upset Lahore Qalandar’s fan crying after his team’s defeat on Sunday against Islamabad United.

    Jones took to twitter and asked the kid to support Kings and also offered him tickets to watch the cricket matches.

    Peshawar skipper Sammy also retweeted the video and wrote, “Ok buddy PeshawarZalmi got u come let me dry your tears.”

    A video of a kid who supported Lahore Qalandars went viral on social media. The video shows a young boy sobbing over Sunday night’s defeat of Lahore Qalandars by Islamabad United who won the game by a wicket.

    The kid was sad over Qalandars’ poor performance and Usman Shinwari, the man who bowled the last over in the game.

    Lahore Qalandars lost both matches they played in PSL 5.

  • Want to know how much money the PSL winning team will take home?

    500 thousand dollars cash (7 crore, 72 lakhs rupees) is what the Pakistan Super League winners will take home this year and the runner-up will get 200 thousand dollars (3 crore, 90 lakh rupees).

    The league, in a press release, shared that the total prize money is one million dollars and 4,500 dollars (6 lakhs 95 thousand rupees) have been set for each man of the match award after each match.

    READ MORE: PCB to feature 350 artists in the opening ceremony of PSL 5

    80 thousand dollars (one crore 23 lakhs) will also be distributed among the best batsman, player of the tournament, and ‘for the spirit of cricket’ award. Other prizes include best catch, best run-out and most sixes.

    The 5th PSL will begin from Feb 20th in Karachi. There will be 34 matches in total, with nine matches in Karachi, 14 in Lahore, eight in Rawalpindi and three in Multan.

    The six-team tournament will be held across four venues with Karachi staging nine matches, Lahore 14 matches, Rawalpindi eight and Multan three matches.

    In the opening match defending champions, Quetta Gladiators will take on two-time former winners Islamabad United at the National Stadium in Karachi.