Tag: PSL 2022

  • Is Shahnawaz Dahani ‘overrated’? Divided battle rages on Twitter

    Is Shahnawaz Dahani ‘overrated’? Divided battle rages on Twitter

    Young pacer from Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans Shahnawaz Dahani on Monday failed to impress fans with his bowling figures and the recent spanking in the match against Quetta Gladiators pushed him in hot waters as Pakistani Twitter is discussing if Dahani is overrated.

    Dahani was less accurate in the penultimate over and fortunate not to see more slot balls dispatched, leaking 15 in his six deliveries. While he conceaded 33 runs in his two overs.

    We have collected some reactions of the Twitterati, where they are discussing that if the young pacer needs to improve his game while some are suggesting to give him another chance. Have a look:

    David Willey’s last over wickets and Shan Masood’s 88-run knock sealed the deal for the Sultans. The Gladiators were smelling victory in the last over as they needed eight runs from six balls, but Willey did not let them get the better of the Sultans at the National Stadium.

    Willey dismissed two players, Sohail Tanvir (13) and Naseem Shah (1) to take Sultans to a 6-run victory, as Gladiators were all-out at 168, with a ball remaining.

    Khushdil Shah, Willey, and Imran Tahir picked up three wickets.

    Earlier, in the match against Lahore Qalandars, the pacer from Larkana had conceaded 44 runs in his 4 overs, taking only one wicket.

  • Babar Azam optimistic to turn the tables after three consecutive defeats

    Babar Azam optimistic to turn the tables after three consecutive defeats

    Karachi Kings has been unable to win a single match in the seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) and their performance in the ongoing tournament wasn’t expected of them, especially after a change of leadership. But Pakistan’s all-format captain and Karachi’s first-time skipper Babar Azam is optimistic that the tables will be turned.

    Taking to his social media, Babar shared a picture of a team meeting and wrote: “Not the start we were preparing for but there’s a lot more to come and we believe we can turn this around. It’s never over until it’s over.”

    Kings have been failing miserably to defend their totals in the last matches played at the National Stadium in Karachi.

    They have lost by seven wickets to Multan Sultans, six wickets to Lahore Qalandars, and eight wickets to Quetta Gladiators.

  • Twitter lauds ‘Mardan ka’ Fakhar Zaman for his maiden PSL century

    Twitter lauds ‘Mardan ka’ Fakhar Zaman for his maiden PSL century

    Pakistan’s left-handed hitter Fakhar Zaman has been highly appreciated by the Pakistani Twitter after he has scored a century in the highly anticipated match between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars at National Stadium Karachi on Sunday.

    Pakistani term clash between Lahore and Karachi as ‘Desi El Clásico’ while the power hitter scored 106 runs off 60 balls with the help of 12 fours and four sixes in this encounter, completing 15,00 runs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    He has become the fourth cricketer to achieve the feat. Prior to him, Babar Azam, Kamran Akmal, and Shoaib Malik have achieved the feat. He also bagged Player of the Match award for his outstanding performance.

    In the post-match ceremony, the Captain of Lahore Qalandars, Shaheen Shah Afridi said: “Fakhar Zaman is improving day by day. We know he is a game-changer. He deserves a lot of credit for the way he managed the innings and his century. I pray that he continues to perform well for Qalandars and for Pakistan.”

    Netizens and his team mates of national team showered their praise to the cricketer for single handedly clinching the match from the Kings.

    https://twitter.com/MandyHox/status/1487852686871609345?s=20&t=PY2zP9O6OpxgQLc0CWdd9Q

  • Pakistanis praise Will Smeed for outstanding knock in Quetta Gladiators’ PSL 7 opener

    Pakistanis praise Will Smeed for outstanding knock in Quetta Gladiators’ PSL 7 opener

    Pakistani netizens and cricket lovers went berserk on social media after Quetta Gladiators’ Will Smeed played an outstanding 97-run knock off just 62 balls against Peshawar Zalmi in the first match of his team. He hit 11 fours and four sixes in his prolific inning.

    Will Smeed’s spectacular score against Peshawar Zalmi was the second-highest individual score for the Quetta Gladiators on his Pakistan Super League (PSL) debut.

    He replaced fellow English cricketer James Vince for PSL 2022.

    Though the 20-year-old missed out on a well-deserved hundred, he won the hearts of fans, courtesy of the entertaining inning and bagged Player of the match award.

    The entire cricket fraternity and fans lauded the right-handed batter for his extraordinary knock, as he announced his arrival on the PSL stage in a grand style.

    https://twitter.com/Crickettalks91/status/1487098485316866049?t=H8hU8Ka7DnnqSO2NCx4Rlg&s=19

    Taking to Twitter, Smeed said that he loved his first experience of the PSL.

    Zalmi beat Gladiators by five wickets after stand-up captain Shoaib Malik and Hussain Talat led the team to victory.

    Quetta is set to take on Babar Azam’s Karachi Kings tonight (Saturday) at the National Stadium Karachi.

  • Shahid Afridi to miss the first few matches of PSL 7 due to back injury

    Shahid Afridi to miss the first few matches of PSL 7 due to back injury

    Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, who is repsenting Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Quetta Gladiators this season, is expected to miss the first few matches of the highly-anticipated league, starting tomorrow.

    The veteran power-hitter Afridi sustained a back injury in a practice session on Tuesday. He was also not part of the training session of Quetta Gladiators. Afridi was hopeful of being fit in time for season seven but he is not 100 percent fit yet.

    As per Geo Super, Afridi requested Quetta to excuse him from the bio-secure bubble. Along with the back pain, a relative of Afridi’s wife has passed away so the cricketer has to attend to personal matters as well.

    Sarfaraz Ahmed, who will be leading Quetta, said they will use their marquee player judiciously and make sure he doesn’t aggravate his injury.

    Afridi was unavailable for the UAE-leg of the PSL 6 because of back injury while representing Multan Sultans.

    The T20 bigwig has piled up 4,395 runs in 326 matches and has maintained a stupendous strike rate of 154.21. He has shed 344 wickets in the shortest format.

    The top-flight bowling all-rounder Afridi alongside England stylish batter James Vince will play for Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2022 edition.

    Afridi played four matches for Sultans in last year’s edition that was played in Karachi and UAE. The veteran shed two wickets and made three runs.

  • Babar, Rizwan face-off: Both ready to face each other in first PSL 7 match

    Babar, Rizwan face-off: Both ready to face each other in first PSL 7 match

    The stage is set for the seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) to begin on January 27 at the National Stadium in Karachi with defending champions Multan Sultans facing off 2020 champions Karachi Kings following a curtain-raiser opening ceremony.

    Babar Azam, who made the record for most T20I wins as captain in a calendar year with 20 in 2021, will lead Karachi Kings. Mohammad Rizwan, first-ever batter to score more than 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year, will lead Multan Sultans.

    Babar in a statement issued by PSL, said: “I am very excited to be leading Karachi Kings this season. This is the first instance that I will be captaining a side in the HBL PSL and I am looking forward to it.

    “The first match of the tournament always has a lot of eyeballs and Multan Sultans can prove to be a tough opposition. I am sure the fans will get to see a thrilling contest.

    “Peter Moores is a seasoned coach and I have had fruitful discussions with him. Karachi Kings will display good, competitive cricket this season.”

    While Rizwan said: “We have all the potential to defend our HBL PSL title and we will be taking the field tomorrow with that mind set. This season will present us new challenges and we will have to plan accordingly.

    “Babar Azam is a wonderful batter and captain, and his leadership will certainly have a good impact on Karachi Kings. I am hopeful that the HBL PSL 7 will kick off with a great contest between the two sides.”

  • Who designed Atif Aslam’s PSL outfit? He says it’s someone ‘beautiful’

    Who designed Atif Aslam’s PSL outfit? He says it’s someone ‘beautiful’

    Pakistani superstar Atif Aslam has praised his wife Sara Bharwana for her style sense, while announcing that she designed his outfit for the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) anthem.

    Taking to Instagram, Atif shared some clicks from the PSL 7 anthem Agay Dekh and credited the people who made him look good.

    “Thank you so much for all the love and respect I knew my wife’s sense of style was a class apart when she chose to marry me. Styled by my beautiful wife Thank you Sara,” quipped Atif.

    He added: “What a video – considering the short amount or time we had. Well done @zparwez The powerful sound scape @abdullah.s.siddiqui.”

    Agay Dekh is sung by Aima Baig alongside Atif and is composed by budding music producer Abdullah Siddiqui.

    This is the first time that the Aadat singer has sung a song for PSL. Atif’s fans are gushing over his new style in the video and many are showering their love on his PSL debut.

    Check out the song here:

  • Rizwan misses ‘fighter’ Shahid Afridi ahead of PSL 7

    Rizwan misses ‘fighter’ Shahid Afridi ahead of PSL 7

    The seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to kick off from January 27 and skipper of PSL franchise Multan Sultans, Mohammad Rizwan, has said that he will miss the “fighter” all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

    The phenomenal all-rounder moved to Quetta Gladiators for the PSL 7, which would be his last tournament.

    Rizwan, while speaking to Cricket Pakistan, said that the global superstar’s absence will always be felt.

    “Last year he also got injured and we missed him dearly then as well,” Rizwan said. “He is a superstar of the country and his absence is always going to be felt. I talk to him time and time again as he makes things easier.”

    The wicket-keeper-batter, who was named the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year, also recalled the time that he spent with Afridi on the pitch.

    He said that Shahid is a fighter and he plays with passion and he never gives up. “I remember we were playing a match together and we needed 120-odd runs from 50-odd balls,” he said. “Our entire top-order had collapsed and batting together with him made me realise that he never gives up. When we would meet in the middle, he would tell things we need to do to turn the match around and that, for me, defines him as a person and a player,” he added.

    Sultans will be in action against Karachi Kings in the PSL 2022 opening match, which will be played at the National Stadium Karachi tomorrow (January 27).

  • VIDEO: PM Imran Khan has a message for all PSL teams

    VIDEO: PM Imran Khan has a message for all PSL teams

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has a special message for all the teams of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as the seventh edition of the league is set to begin in two days.

    In a video, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja and PM Khan can be seen launching the tournament together.

    “Together [with Ramiz], I am opening the PSL,” Imran Khan said. “I hope that every team will fight till the end and entertain the public,” he added.

    It must be noted that PSL 7 is starting from January 27 in Karachi. Defending champions Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings will play the opening match at the National Stadium.

    Karachi-leg will conclude on February 7. The Lahore-leg will start from Febraury 10 at Gaddafi Stadium, including the Final.

  • Wasim Akram, Wahab Riaz, Haider Ali test positive for Covid ahead of PSL 7

    Wasim Akram, Wahab Riaz, Haider Ali test positive for Covid ahead of PSL 7

    Former cricketer and Karachi Kings’ President Wasim Akram and two Peshawar Zalmi’s players — Wahab Riaz and Haider Ali — tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    As per The News, Wasim Akram and the players of the PSL franchise have quarantined themselves after their test for the virus came back positive.

    It is a big blow for Zalmi as its two key players tested positive for the virus days before the start of the mega event.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the total toll of coronavirus positive players for the Zalmis has reached four as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday confirmed the franchise’s Kamran Akmal and Arshad Iqbal had tested positive for Covid-19 and were replaced by players from the reserves pool.

    The replacement, according to the PCB, will be temporary and the replaced players can re-integrate into the squad after completing isolation and receiving negative PCR results.

    On January 21, the PCB had confirmed that three cricketers and five members of the support staff from different franchises had contracted the virus.

    Earlier, 40 staff memebers of the hotel reserved for PSL 7 bio-secure bubble had tested positive for Covid-19.

    The seventh edition of the PSL is scheduled to kickoff at Karachi’s National Stadium from January 27. The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had allowed 25 per cent crowd attendance for the Karachi-leg of the tournament after the surge in cases in the city. NCOC will make a decision closer to the time for the Lahore-leg matches scheduled to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium from February 10-27.