Tag: PSL 7

  • Fakhar Zaman teases Haris Rauf after Shaheen Afridi’s appointment as Lahore Qalandars’ captain

    Fakhar Zaman teases Haris Rauf after Shaheen Afridi’s appointment as Lahore Qalandars’ captain

    Pakistan cricket team’s power hitter Fakhar Zaman teased speedster Haris Rauf after pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi was appointed as captain of Lahore Qalandars in the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    Taking to Twitter, the batter congratulated Shaheen and wrote: “Many congratulations Shaheen Afridi long way to go super star.”

    He also warned Rauf, saying: “Haris Rauf ab koi ghalti na karna match ma. (Haris Rauf don’t make any mistake in the match from now onwards.)”

    Replying to Fakhar, Rauf said: “kuch ni kehta mujhay full yakeen hai apnay skipper par. (He will not say anything, I have full trust in my skipper.)”

    While he also extended good wishes to Shaheen for the appointment. “Best wishes and Best of luck buddy,” he wrote.

    Shaheen tweeted that it is an honour for him to lead Lahore Qalandars. He also pledged to win the hearts and the trophy as well.

    The franchise made the announcement in a press conference at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore on Monday. Afridi has replaced Sohail Akhtar, who was the captain of the team since 2018.

    Several people from the cricket fraternity congratulated the 21-year-old cricketer. Hassan Ali also took to Twitter to congratulate his “partner”.

    The seventh edition of PSL will start on January 27.

    Matches from January 27- February 7 will be played at the National Stadium, Karachi, whereas the remaining fixtures will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore with the final set to take place on February 27.

  • Shadab Khan on Sarfaraz, Rizwan, reveals favourite wicket-keeper

    Shadab Khan on Sarfaraz, Rizwan, reveals favourite wicket-keeper

    Pakistan’s young all-rounder Shadab Khan recently hosted a question and answer (Q&A) session on Twitter and opened up about several things like his favourite wicket-keeper, talked about his marriage, Pakistan Super League (PSL) and wicket-keeper-batters Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan.

    Khan hosted the session and asked fans to use the hashtag #AskShadab, and as soon as the clock struck 9pm, Twitterati flooded the cricketer’s timeline with their questions.

    #AskShadab also became the top trend in Pakistan within an hour.

    Fans had several questions about PSL, with a user seeking Khan’s opinion on whether Shaheen Shah Afridi could lead the Lahore Qalandars or not.

    At this, Khan said that Shaheen can “absolutely” lead the Qalandars.

    Abdul Wahab asked which franchise would Khan choose if given the choice. He responded that he would always pick Islamabad United unless they decide to release him.

    Khan also revealed that his favourite captain for the seventh edition of the PSL would be former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed who is playing for Quetta Gladiators.

    A fan asked why did Khan, at times, adopts a rude attitude on the field, “especially with juniors, and in the PSL”.

    At this, Khan said he “never” acted rudely and that juniors were his brothers.

    As everyone at the national team calls Shadab “Shaddy”, a fan asked who started calling him that? He replied: Saifi Bhai (Sarfaraz).

    Journalist Imran Siddique asked Khan why did he still call Sarfaraz “kaptaan” despite him not being in command anymore.

    At this, Khan said that Sarfaraz had taught him how to lead, how to look after his team, how to fight for his country, and his teammates.
    “My teacher will always be my captain,” he said.

    A similar question was asked about Mohammad Rizwan, and in response, Khan termed the wicket-keeper-batter a “champion”.

    He also termed Rizwan as number one wicket-keeper.

    Batsman Sharjeel Khan asked the all-rounder when was he planning to tie the knot. In response, Shadab said: “Sharjeel bhai Aap he baat kaar lain ab number send karta houn” [I am sending you the number Sharjeel bhai. Speak on my behalf]”.

    Khan termed skipper Babar Azam as number one.

  • Shaheen Afridi to lead Lahore Qalandars in PSL 7

    Shaheen Afridi to lead Lahore Qalandars in PSL 7

    Pakistan’s young pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will be the captain of Lahore Qalandars in Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) seventh edition.

    The franchise made the announcement in a press conference at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore.

    “Thank you Lahore Qalandars, this is not just a team, it’s a family. I thank them for placing their trust in me for this role,” said Shaheen.

    “I will try to ensure that the team shows good performances on the field,” he added.

    The speedster is the highest wicket-taker for the Qalandars, with 50 wickets in 37 matches, after having joined the franchise in 2018.

    Afridi has replaced Sohail Akhtar, who was the captain of the team since 2018.

    Aqib Javed, the Director Cricket Operations and head coach of Qalandars, also heaped praise on Afridi and hoped that the left-armer will take the team to new heights.

    “We are very happy to appoint him as captain of Lahore Qalandars and looking forward to see his wonders both with ball and his leadership skills,” Javed said. “He has been with us since 2018 and this is the right time to provide him the opportunity to lead the Lahore Qalandars’ young outfit.”

    The seventh edition of PSL will start on January 27.

    Matches from January 27- February 7 will be played at the National Stadium, Karachi, whereas the remaining fixtures will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore with the final set to take place on February 27.

  • ‘Pick me’: Namibia captain asks to be picked in PSL after Kamran Akmal backs out

    ‘Pick me’: Namibia captain asks to be picked in PSL after Kamran Akmal backs out

    After Kamran Akmal announced that he would not play in the 2022 Pakistan Super League (PSL), Namibian cricketer Gerhard Erasmus and Dutch player Maxwell O’Dowd took to Twitter to express their PSL ambitions.

    Kamran Akmal has decided not to play in PSL 2022 after being picked in the draft in the lowest category of players by his old team Peshawar Zalmi. The 39-year-old was moved down from the Diamond category to the Gold category by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). But he was eventually the last pick for Peshawar from the Silver category. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, the wicketkeeper-batter called it a “humiliation” and revealed he would not play in the tournament. ESPNCricinfo shared his quote on Twitter to which Namibian cricket captain Gerhard Erasmus replied that he would love to play in the PSL for free.

    “Pick me, I’ll be there for free, wrote Erasmus.

    Meanwhile, Netherlands cricketer Maxwell O’Dowd also retweeted the original post and expressed his desire to play in the tournament next year. He wrote, “Up for a swap!? I’ll gladly play!”

    On Monday, Akmal had said that it was also “an embarrassment”.

    “If it has to end like this, so be it, but I am not going to play with such humiliation,” he said.

    “This is an embarrassment. You don’t treat a player like this. With all the runs I have scored in the league, I deserve better,” he said in the interview.

  • ‘I don’t deserve to play’: Kamran Akmal refuses to play in PSL 2022

    ‘I don’t deserve to play’: Kamran Akmal refuses to play in PSL 2022

    Pakistan’s veteran cricketer Kamran Akmal, the most-capped player in the history of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer, has refused to take part in the next edition of the league after being picked in the draft in the lowest category of players by his team Peshawar Zalmi.

    Peshawar picked Kamran but the wicket keeper-batter refused to play as he feels he doesn’t “deserve to play in this category”.

    “Last 6 seasons it was a great journey. Thank you for supporting me through thick and thin M.Akram bhai @JAfridi10, @darensammy88, @WahabViki. I think I don’t deserve to play in this category…Thank you once again.. @PeshawarZalmi Best of luck. Thank You all the fans for supporting,” Kamran Akmal tweeted.

    The six PSL franchises on Sunday finalised their squads in the quest to lift the trophy at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 27.

    Defending champions Multan Sultans selected Australia’s Tim David, who was previously with Lahore Qalandars, in the Platinum Category, while their other notable picks included West Indian duo of Odean Smith and Rovman Powell, and Pakistan trio of Anwar Ali, Imran Khan Snr and Rumman Raees.

    Meanwhile, Zalmi’s potential final squad is as follows:

    Hazratulah Zazai – Platinum

    Liam Livingstone – Platinum

    Wahab Riaz – Platinum

    Haider Ali – Diamond

    Sherfane Rutherford – Diamond

    Shoaib Malik – Diamond

    Hussain Talat – Gold

    Saqib Mahmood – Brand Ambassador – Gold

    Usman Qadir – Gold

    Arshad Iqbal – Silver

    Kamran Akmal – Mentor – Silver

    Salman Irshad – Silver

    Sameen Gul – Silver

    Tom Kohler-Cadmore – Silver

    Mohammad Aamer – Emerging

    Sirajuddin – Emerging

    Ben Cutting – Supplementary

    Mohammad Haris – Supplementary

  • ‘Braindead journalists’: Twitter reacts to Hassan Ali shutting down journalist during PSL drafts

    ‘Braindead journalists’: Twitter reacts to Hassan Ali shutting down journalist during PSL drafts

    Pakistan cricket team’s star pacer Hassan Ali always remains in the discussion for some reason or the other. Once again, Ali is in discussion and this time the matter is a bit hot. This time the bowler had an argument with a journalist, whose video has now gone viral on social media. The draft event of the seventh season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was held on Sunday December 12 in Lahore, where the incident took place.

    A press conference was also held on the sidelines of the draft event of PSL 2022. Ali also participated in this event and Ali, who plays for Islamabad United in PSL, was answering questions, when a journalist wanted to ask him a question but he refused to listen to his question.

    In the viral video, it can be seen that the journalist asked Ali a question but before hearing the question, he said: “Next question.” The journalist who asked the question was Anas Saeed. Anas tried to ask the question again, but Hassan again deferred by saying “next question”. Here a brawl started between the two.

    Anas asked Hassan to listen to his question, then Hassan said: “I don’t want to answer you.” Hassan further said: “You first sit on Twitter and write good things and then I will reply. You should not be personal with anyone. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) can’t stop you, but we have the right.”

    Ali looked quite upset during this and did not listen to Saeed’s question. The video of this spat between the two went viral on Twitter. Anas Saeed re-tweeted it and wrote, “Journalists have to face such allegations in every round, sometimes stealing eyes by calling it a caste allegation will not do anything. I will come back strong.”

    In another video, the journalist can be heard saying that rumours about Hassan circulate on social media while Hassan instantly said: “Next question please.”

    Earlier, Saeed took to Twitter and posted Ali’s video in which he was having a fun time with his teammates Khushdil Shah and Iftikhar Ahmad. While Anas Saeed took to Twitter and pointed out that taking off the masks on a flight is against the Covid-19 protocols.

    Meanwhile, several sports journalists critised the cricketer while many fans extended their support for him.

    https://twitter.com/TheWhimsicalAli/status/1470085866471182343?s=20

  • Afridi, Vince move to Quetta, Azam Khan moves to Islamabad

    Afridi, Vince move to Quetta, Azam Khan moves to Islamabad

    The reports of former captain Pakistan cricket team Shahid Afridi being moved to Quetta Gladiators were circulating on social media and now the news has been confirmed by the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) page and franchise Quetta Gladiators. It’s going to be the fourth PSL team for the 41-year-old after he last played for the Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans and the Peshawar Zalmi. In the previous edition, he was a part of the Sultans, who won their maiden PSL title under the leadership of Mohammad Rizwan.

    For the Gladiators, Afridi is most likely to play under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s captaincy. The upcoming edition may well be his last season in the T20 championship. The former Pakistan all-rounder wished to sign off from the PSL after guiding the Gladiators through to title glory.

    “I am excited to join Quetta Gladiators, a side that has had a roller-coaster ride in the past few events despite winning the title in 2019. In my final HBL PSL event, it will my dream and wish to sign off with another HBL PSL trophy after tasting success with Peshawar Zalmi in 2017.

    “HBL PSL is an event that encourages and inspires a player to give his very best. I will use the same motivation to help my team and put in performances that can help us achieve our event objectives,” Afridi said on PSL’s official website.

    Along with Afridi, England’s James Vince has also been traded from the Sultans to the Gladiators. Iftikhar Ahmed, who played for Islamabad United in last edition, will play alongside newly traded Vince and Afridi in the Gladiators.

    Young wicket keeper-batter Azam Khan, who represented the Gladiators last season, will play for United in the upcoming season. The PSL draft is scheduled to take place at the High Performance Centre in Lahore on Sunday, December 12.

  • Here is what you need to know about PSL 7 draft, schedule

    Here is what you need to know about PSL 7 draft, schedule

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) seventh edition will begin on January 27, 2022, with the draft to be held on December 12. The league, which begins about a month earlier than usual to make room for Australia’s upcoming tour in March-April, will have the final take place on February 27.

    “Following an opening ceremony, defending champions Multan Sultans will take on hosts and 2020 champions Karachi Kings at the National Stadium with the first ball to be bowled at 7pm” on January 27, a PCB press release said, adding that 2019 champions Quetta Gladiators would go toe to toe with 2017 winners Peshawar Zalmi the following day.

    “After Karachi, which will host 15 matches from January 27 to February 7, action will shift to the Gaddafi Stadium where the remaining 15 league matches and the four play-offs will be played from February 10-27,” the PCB said.

    It will be the first time since 2017 when the headquarters of Pakistan cricket will host the PSL final.

    The National Stadium in Karachi had staged the league’s finals from 2018 to 2020, while Abu Dhabi was the venue for the 2021 final, where Multan Sultans defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs.

    Speaking on the matter, PCB Chairperson Ramiz Raja said: “I am delighted that the HBL PSL 7 schedule has been announced. This will now get the ball rolling with the teams to start planning and finalising their line-ups and the PCB increasing the pace of the operational delivery to ensure they provide quality playing facilities for the players as well as a five-star experience to the fans and our valued commercial partners.”

    “The HBL PSL 7 will also kickstart what will be a bumper year for Pakistan cricket with the Australia men’s cricket team to play a full series in March-April with England men’s cricket side to tour Pakistan twice for white-ball and red-ball cricket,” Raja added.

    Player draft

    According to the press release, the PCB has decided to hold the player draft for the league at its National High Performance Centre in Lahore on December 12.

    “Each side will come to the draft with a maximum of eight-player retentions from the last event,” it further stated. “Following the finalisation of player categories, the transfer and retention window is now officially open and will close on December 10.”

    According to the press release, Lahore Qalandars will have the first pick in the Platinum category, Diamond category, Gold category and Emerging category, Peshawar Zalmi will have the first pick in the Silver category, and Quetta Gladiators will have the first pick in the Supplementary category.

    Local players’ category renewals

    The press release said the PCB, after a review and assessment process, had updated local players’ categories.

    “In the biggest moves, Pakistan wicketkeeper/batter and Multan Sultan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan (previously Silver), Asif Ali of Islamabad United (previously Gold) and Lahore Qalandars’ Haris Rauf (previously Diamond) have been placed in Platinum Category.”

    Moreover, Multan Sultans’ Sohaib Maqsood, who was named the Player of HBL PSL’s sixth edition, and Haider Ali of Peshawar Zalmi have moved up from Silver and Gold categories to Diamond category, respectively.

    Schedule for matches in Karachi:

    • Jan 27: Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans

    • Jan 28: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi

    • Jan 29: Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars; Karachi Kings vsQuetta Gladiators

    • Jan 30: Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United; Karachi Kings vsLahore Qalandars

    • Jan 31: Quetta Gladiators vs Multan Sultans

    • Feb 1: Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans

    • Feb 2: Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars

    • Feb 3: Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United

    • Feb 4: Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi

    • Feb 5: Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars; Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans

    • Feb 6: Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United

    • Feb 7: Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qalandars

    Schedule for matches in Lahore:

    • Feb 10: Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi

    • Feb 11: Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans

    • Feb 12: Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators

    • Feb 13: Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings; Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators

    • Feb 14: Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings

    • Feb 15: Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators

    • Feb 16: Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings

    • Feb 17: Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi

    • Feb 18: Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators; Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings

    • Feb 19: Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United

    • Feb 20: Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings; Multan Sultans vsIslamabad United

    • Feb 21: Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi

    • Feb 23: Qualifier (1 vs 2)

    • Feb 24: Eliminator 1 (3 vs 4)

    • Feb 25: Eliminator 2 (Loser Qualifier 1 vs Winner Eliminator 1)

    • Feb 27: (Qualifier v Eliminator 2) Final

  • Imad Wasim wishes Babar ‘good luck’ for PSL 7 as Karachi Kings’ captain

    Imad Wasim wishes Babar ‘good luck’ for PSL 7 as Karachi Kings’ captain

    Pakistani cricketer and former captain of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Karachi Kings, Imad Wasim, has extended his good wishes to the newly appointed captain of the franchise, Babar Azam, for the upcoming seventh edition.

    Taking to Twitter, Imad thanked Salman Iqbal, saying: “I want to take a minute to thank @Salman_ary bhai and the whole @KarachiKingsARY family for entrusting me with the captaincy for 4 seasons! It’s been wonderful n I look forward to even bigger things for the team in the future.”

    Wishing well to the the all-format skipper Babar, he said: “Gudluck and best wishes to my brother @babarazam258.”

    Cricketer Umar Akmal also congratulated his cousin.

    The Kings, under the leadership of Imad Wasim, clinched their first PSL title in 2020.

    The seventh edition of PSL will be held in January and February 2022 with all matches taking place in Pakistan.

    Both Lahore and Karachi will host 17 matches each, with the finals to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

  • Babar Azam named captain of Karachi Kings for PSL 7

    Babar Azam named captain of Karachi Kings for PSL 7

    The all-format captain of the Pakistan cricket team, Babar Azam, will lead Karachi Kings in the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which is starting in January next year.

    Read More – 2020 Sports Roundup – Some losses, some gains

    The franchise confirmed the long-rumoured development on its official Twitter account on Tuesday.

    “Big announcement for Karachi Kings fans! Our national team skipper, the one and only Babar Azam, will now be the captain of Karachi Kings as well!”

    “This is such an honour for me that the whole team management, including Imad Bhai, has entrusted me with the captaincy of our beloved Karachi Kings team. This means the world to me,” Babar said in a video message attached with the tweet.

    “I have been playing for the Karachi Kings for the last five years, and this is like my home and family away from home.

    “I will work as hard as possible to take the team to even greater heights than what we’ve already achieved so far. My promise is that I will give it my all to make sure we keep on growing towards bigger and better things,” Azam said.

    The players’ draft for the seventh edition of the PSL is due for the second week of December while the tournament is likely to start in late January. Karachi and Lahore are expected to host 17 matches each with the playoffs and the final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

    Earlier, under the leadership of all-round spinner Imad Wasim, the Kings won their first title, playing against their arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars in 2020.