Tag: PSL8

  • No decision about new PSL teams, but Najam Sethi desires more franchises

    No decision about new PSL teams, but Najam Sethi desires more franchises

    Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Najam Sethi has revealed that they have not contacted anyone in regard to establishing new teams in Pakistan Super league (PSL). His comment came in the backdrop of excitement among PSL fans after Javed Afridi revealed that Sialkot or Faisalabad might get to become part of the League. “We discussed new teams in PSL but existing franchises have revenue issues. But it is my desire to have two new teams,” he said.

    Najam Sethi assured fans that, “A lot of potential buyers are ready to purchase the two new teams in PSL.”

    “So I think Javed Afridi has fired the first shot that Faisalabad and Sialkot will be the two new teams in PSL. We haven’t had any discussions with the franchises, we didn’t make any decision, but it’s my desire that at least two new teams should be added,” he said.

    However, Sethi also recognized the valid concerns of the existing franchises, about potential revenue loss and the impact on market saturation.

    “There are a lot of concerns from the franchises regarding their revenues and whether the market can take it or not. And for this, we have to sit and discuss the issue because without them, we can’t move forward,” Sethi emphasized.

    Reiterating that all franchises have to be part of the consultation process, Sethi said that many people are interested in buying these two teams. “If the addition of these two teams is coming in the PSL, then there will be a win-win situation for all,” he added.

    The 74-year-old also reassured the existing franchises that they would not suffer any loss and instead, make a profit from this decision:
    “I assured the rest of the teams that the revenue will be increased, not decreased. Trust me, you will make profit instead. I promise to the rest of the teams that you will not suffer any loss. If you face any loss we will help you in this matter.”

    Speaking about the possibility of taking the PSL to the United States, Sethi said that many people had approached him with the idea.

    PCB chief also mentioned that the board will conduct an internal debate to consider the possibility of switching to an auction system for selecting teams in the PSL. Under an auction model, each team would have a certain amount of money to bid for players, while the highest bidder would acquire the player’s services.
    “We will do an internal debate on this [introducing auction model in PSL],” he concluded.

  • Babar Azam is the best player of Pakistan but is afraid of getting out: Simon Doull

    Babar Azam is the best player of Pakistan but is afraid of getting out: Simon Doull

    Kiwi Commentator Simon Doull has landed in hot waters after his sharp criticism of Pakistan captain Babar Azam.

    Opening up about the one on one conversation he had with Babar Azam during the Pakistan super league match between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, Doull said in a video that he thinks Babar Azam is afraid of getting out and that is where he needs to work.

    “I told Babar that you are the best player in the country but you are afraid of getting out. At some point of your innigns you need to play aggressive cricket and that was kind of the gist of my whole chat with him,” Doull said in the clip.

    “Someone texted me yesterday that Quinton de Kock slows down his innings while close to 100, did they win? Yes it’s ok to slow down the innings when you have a solid start and you are chasing at the home conditions but it’s not a good approach when there is not a set target ahead of you and you slow down the innings just for your personal milestone,” he added.

    “That was the whole crux of the comment. At times it gets blown out of proportion.

    I’ll never ever hide behind anything that I say. I said it at the time, I stuck by it, and I have no issue that I said it,” Simon concluded.

    Babar was criticised by Doull for slowing down to complete his maiden PSL century during the match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators in PSL. Doull got a lot of flak from the star batsman’s fans.

  • Another Record for Rizwan as he gets 500 runs in PSL season 8

    Another Record for Rizwan as he gets 500 runs in PSL season 8

    Call him the Hit Man, or the Little Master, wicket-keeper Muhammad Rizwan just keeps piling on the records. The batting maestro has reached another milestone by scoring 500 runs for the third time in Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    Rizwan first scored 500 runs in PSL 6, then repeated the fear with 546 runs in PSL 7. Now he has again scored the 500 runs in the ongoing edition of Pakistan’s largest league.

    The wicket-keeper is becoming a brand day by day as per the saying of furious Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar “He who can speak and play well together can become a brand.” And Rizwan can do both.

    Rizwan is the first player to score 500 runs three consecutive times in the Pakistan Super league (PSL).
    The Sultans captain, who was the opening batter in the game, hit 10 boundaries and four sixes, staying on the pitch throughout the game.

    Since his debut in PSL in 2016, Rizwan has played in 70 matches, accumulating 1,962 runs in 59 innings. He has hit one century (during the ongoing season) and 16 fifties.

    Rizwan also has 178 fours and 45 sixes to his name.

  • PSL 8: Sultans thrash Qalandars en route to the finals

    Multan Sultan crossed all hurdles brilliantly and reached the finals of Pakistan Super League (PSL) by thrashing defending champs Lahore Qalandars last night at Gaddafi Stadium.

    Sultans defeated the nearly invincible Qalandars by 84 runs. Chasing a target of 161 runs, Lahore was routed at only 76 runs in 14.3 overs.

    Lahore lost Mirza Tahir Baig, who scored only 8 runs, early after Sheldon Cottrell bowled an out swinger who edged one through to Rizwan.

    Cottrell struck in the same over to trap Abdullah Shafique on a duck in front of the stumps.

    Lahore were hoping that opener and star batter Fakhar Zaman would lead the run-chase but that was not the case after the left-hander was clean-bowled by an inswinger from Anwar Ali. He scored six runs in seven balls.

    Earlier Multan Sultans choose to bat first and set a not so difficult target in PSL 8 season where usually the target is 250 above, putting up 161 in their 20 overs by giving 5 wickets.
    Multan made a decent start in the powerplay with 46 runs on the board without losing a wicket.

    Lahore got their first breakthrough in the eighth over after Haris Rauf cleaned up Usman Khan, who scored 29 runs in 28 balls. He added 53 runs for the first wicket with skipper Mohammad Rizwan.

    Lahore’s good bowling ensured that the middle orders were dominated by the Qalandars.

    However, missed chances in the death overs allowed Kieron Pollard to take the attack to the bowling side, adding 57 runs in 34 balls with the help of six maximums and a four.

    Tim David remained unbeaten on 22 runs in 15 balls.

    Rauf was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-34 in four overs. Meanwhile, Zaman and Rashid bagged one wicket each.

    David Wiese also bowled an economical spell of 0-24 in four overs.

    While Multan qualified for the final, Lahore will now play the second eliminator against the winning team of the first eliminator.

    Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi will meet in the first eliminator on Thursday and the team that loses will get knocked out of the event. The winner will face Lahore on Friday.

    Playing 11
    Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Mirza Tahir Baig, Abdullah Shafique, Sam Billings (wk), Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan.

    Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (wk/c), Usman Khan, Rilee Rossouw, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Khushdil Shah, Anwar Ali, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Sheldon Cottrell, Ihsanullah.

  • No hurdles; Qalandars vs Sultans match will be played as per schedule

    No hurdles; Qalandars vs Sultans match will be played as per schedule

    Since the last 24 hours, the law and order situation in Lahore’s Zaman Park, the residence of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has turned critical. Clashes between supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)workers and state turned violent, leaving Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in limbo.

    Now Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans PSL match will be played as per schedule in Lahore.

    The PCB statement, which it shared from its official Twitter handle, came after the law and order situation in the Zaman Park area worsened over the expected arrest of former Premier Imran Khan.

    “The PSL8 Qualifier in Lahore today will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium as scheduled,” the PCB tweeted allying concerns over the law and order situation.

    Yesterday both teams had to cancel their practice session at due to the clashes. Both teams are scheduled to play the playoffs match of PSL 8 in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium today.

    The match between the two favorites of PSL 8 will be played today at 7pm.

    Defending champions Qalandars are confident they will maintain their winning momentum against the Sultans, while the Rizwan-led side will be looking to jump back to its feet and power up to the final as they did last year.

    While the winning side will qualify for the final, the losing side will play the second eliminator against the winning side of the first eliminator.

  • Is Shoaib Malik going to test his fate in acting?

    Is Shoaib Malik going to test his fate in acting?

    Former captain Shoaib Malik might be making his way to the big screen soon.

    Talking about his future plans while hosting a talk show with his wife, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, Malik expressed an interest in pursuing a career in acting. The all-rounder has already made his acting debut with the Pakistani film “Saya-e-Khuda-e-Zuljalal” in 2016, in which he played the role of a Pakistani soldier. Malik has also appeared in TV commercials in Pakistan. However, it is not clear if he intends to pursue acting as a full-time career or if he will continue to focus on cricket.

    Malik made his acting debut with a guest appearance in Mahira Khan’s drama series “Baarwan Khiladi”.

    “I can’t say yes or no right now. If any good project is offered, I will think about it. Maybe I do some good acting,” he hinted when asked about pursuing a career in showbiz.

    While talkin about the controversy surrounding former seamer Shoaib Akhtar’s statement about national team skipper Babar Azam, Malik supported the former speedster.

    “I have known Shoaib Bhai for a very long time. He gives blunt statements but never tries to hurt anyone,” Malik said.

    He said that he believes that the “statement was taken wrongly” while it might have been said for “betterment”.

    However, he added that in his view, English language shouldn’t be the criteria to judge someone.

    Malik has also worked in the 2019 movie “Silsilay”, in which he played the lead role. Malik has also made special appearances in other Pakistani movies, including “Punjab Nahi Jaungi” and “Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2”.

  • Qalandars vs Gladiators; who will win today?

    Qalandars vs Gladiators; who will win today?

    Tournament favourites Lahore Qalandars will face a team in trouble on Thursday. Quetta Gladiators are at the bottom of the points table while Qalandars are right on top.

    Lahore Qalandars fans are excited to watch Lahore vs Quetta in their home ground, but they are likely relaxed too after their team performed extraordinarily well in their first 4 games.

    Last time Lahore palyed against Quetta at the National Stadium, Qalandars thrashed the Gladiators, winning the match by 63 runs. Now Quetta Gladiators are ready to take revenge.

    Experts say that there is a strong chance of Lahore Qalandars maintaining their winning streak, with a complete batting and bowling line up. Spinner Rashid Khan can change the game single handedly, Shaheen Afridi is famous for grabbing first over wickets and the king of seam, Haris Rauf.

    Their batting line up is also strong in term of hitting in power play, with powerful hitters Fakhar Zaman and Kamran Ghulam.

    Shaheen Afridi’s team heads into the fixture after thumping Islamabad United by 110 runs in their previous outing. Quetta Gladiators have managed to win just one match in the tournament so far, with their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition looking increasingly bleak with each passing game.

  • Kings vs Zalmi: stats you need to know

    Rawalpindi cricket ground will host its first match of HBL PSL 8 on Wednesday, between rivals Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings. Both teams are currently placed at the bottom of the points table.

    Babar Azam, top run scorer for Zalmi and the captain of the team, was previously a core member of Karachi Kings and leading the team in the last season. But the team did not perform well under his captaincy and lost all the important matches of PSL 7.

    Mohammad Amir, Karachi Kings’ frontline pace bowler, has been overtly critical of Babar Azam in several live televsion shows and on micro-blogging site Twitter. Even Imad Wasim, skipper of Karachi Kings, took a dig at Azam’s batting and leadership skills without being too vocal.

    The verbal gymnastics before the start of this PSL season renders the match between KAR and PES all the more interesting.

    It is too early to gauge their current position in the table. Ideally, both teams would want to earn two crucial points to stabilise their standing. Historically, when it comes to their head-to-head in the last five meetings, Zalmi have enjoyed an upper hand while winning all five encounters between the two.

    The Imad Wasim-led Karachi Kings will aim to overcome their failures and try to obtain a result in their favour in the much-awaited clash.

    Experts says that Peshawar Zalmi will be the favourite of today’s match but Imad led Kings will also fight for  crucial points to strengthen their place.

    Playing XI for Peshawar Zalmi

    Mohammad Haris (wk), Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Rovman Powell, James Neesham, Dasun Shanaka, Wahab Riaz, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Qadir, Arshad Iqbal

    Playing XI Karachi Kings

    P Matthew Wade (wk), James Vince, Tayyab Tahir, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim (c), Ben Cutting, Irfan Khan, Aamer Yamin, Muhammad Musa, Tabraiz Shamsi, Akif Javedlaying XI for Karachi Kings

  • Babar Azam is bigger diamond than Kohinoor: Shahdab Khan

    Babar Azam is bigger diamond than Kohinoor: Shahdab Khan

    Pakistan cricket team has failed to win a single test at home under Babar Azam’s captaincy however all-rounder Shahdab Khan has said that the nation is being unjust to Babar Azam.

    Babar Azam has been criticized in the past few months by former cricketers and fans for his captaincy.

    Shadab, in a recent interview with a local TV channel, defended his captain, asking Pakistanis to realize how valuable Babar is and desist from unnecessarily criticizing him.

    “I think we are doing injustice with such a diamond. Pakistan has been blessed with such a big diamond. He [Babar] is a bigger diamond than Kohinoor,” Shadab said.

    “As a nation, we are not valuing Babar for what he is worth and are pressurizing him. At the end of the day, he is human. We should respect him the way the world respects him,” he added.
    The all-rounder was also surprised by the criticism of Babar’s leadership qualities by former cricketers.

    “I am surprised when people doubt him as a captain or a leader. He is Pakistan’s biggest player. Our nation should respect him the way we respect him in the team,” he concluded.

    The Pakistan captain recently received the ICC Cricketer of the year award for his performances in the year 2022.

  • Ask Nadeem Umer to remove Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain of Quetta: Shahid Afridi

    Ask Nadeem Umer to remove Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain of Quetta: Shahid Afridi

    Former captain and all-rounder Shahid Afridi has shown concern on consecutive defeats of Quetta Gladiators. Talking on a TV show, Afridi said that Sarfaraz Ahmed has to step down as captain of Quetta Gladiators.

    He said that Sarfaraz should play only as a team member and focus on his own performance first to manage the pressure upon him. Afridi added that the responsibility for Quetta’s consecutive defeats lies on team management who has no alternative captain.

    Responding to a question about Sarfaraz’s performance, Afridi cited an example from Islamabad United and said: “There should always be a player standing by on the bench who can take the place if the team falls short of any player.”

    “This strategy is nowhere to be seen in Quetta Gladiators”, he added.

    The former star cricketer also mentioned that several changes had been made in the team.

    While citing another example from Karachi Kings, he said that the team is not performing exceptionally well, however, its captain Imad Wasim can be seen performing and leading his team.

    The captain’s performance has an important role in the team’s performance, Afridi emphasised.

    He further added that Sarfaraz has played a number of matches for Pakistan and he performed very well in those matches.

    “Prior to the start of the league, I had talked to Nadeem Umar. He asked me for some advice. I had said the same then: Remove Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain of Quetta as soon as possible but keep him as a team member so that as a player he could perform well and he could absorb the pressure of his own performance and enjoy his game-play’.”

    Quetta Gladiator squad for PSL 8
    Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Naveen ul Haq, Umar Akmal, Will Smeed, Naseem Shah, Odean Smith, Mohammad Hafeez, Umaid Asif, Muhammad Zahid, Abdul Bangalzai, Aimal Khan, Martin Guptill, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qais Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Dwaine Pretorius (partial replacement for Odean Smith), Will Jacks (partial replacement for Jason Roy), Nuwan Thushara (partial replacement for Naveen ul Haq)