By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars secured their third Pakistan Super League (PSL) title in four seasons, edging Quetta Gladiators by six wickets in a heart-stopping final on Sunday, chasing 202 with a ball to spare.
Sikandar Raza ran off in celebration, punching the air in delight, his partner Kusal Perera in tow as fireworks exploded overhead.
Chasing a daunting 202, the Qalandars appeared down and out, needing 57 runs off the final 20 balls. But Perera’s unbeaten 62 off 31 deliveries, studded with four sixes and five fours, and Raza’s explosive 22 off seven balls turned the tide, steering their side home with a ball to spare. As teammates stormed the pitch in jubilation, the Gladiators slumped to the turf, their hopes of a second PSL crown—six years after their first—dashed in dramatic fashion.
The Gladiators had seized control early, posting 201-9 after being asked to bat. Hasan Nawaz led the charge with a blistering 76 off 43 balls, kickstarting his innings with two fours and a towering six over long-on off the first six deliveries he faced. Rilee Rossouw matched his aggression, striking two fours and a pulled six off Haris Rauf before finding joy on the off side with two more boundaries in Salman Irshad’s sixth over. The powerplay ended at 57-2, despite Shaheen Shah Afridi’s early breakthroughs—dismissing Saud Shakeel and Finn Allen.
Rossouw fell for 27, caught by Shaheen off Raza, but Hasan pressed on. He smashed Rishad Hossain for two fours in the eighth over, lofted Raza for six in the ninth, and then unleashed 6, 4, 4 off Rishad in the 10th to race to a 21-ball fifty. At the halfway mark, Gladiators were 100-3 and in command.
Avishka Fernando chipped in with 29, including five fours, before Rishad had him caught. Hasan, battling apparent discomfort, muscled another six off Raza and survived a drop by Fakhar Zaman. Dinesh Chandimal’s 22, featuring two sixes, kept the momentum alive until he holed out to substitute Mohammad Azab off Shaheen in the 18th over. Hasan’s knock ended soon after, caught by Raza at wide long-on off Shaheen, who finished with 3-24.
A late stumble saw Haris Rauf remove Mohammad Amir and Abrar Ahmed, but Faheem Ashraf’s unbeaten 28—highlighted by three sixes off Salman in the final over—lifted Gladiators to a formidable total.
In reply, Mohammad Naeem launched the Qalandars’ chase with a ferocious 46 off 27 balls, bludgeoning Faheem for two sixes among his six maximums. He survived a dropped chance off Usman Tariq, while Abdullah Shafique crunched a late cut for four off Abrar Ahmed. By the end of the powerplay, Qalandars were 56-1, despite Fakhar Zaman’s lbw dismissal to Abrar.
Naeem’s onslaught ended when Faheem had him caught at deep square, and Shafique’s 41 off 28—featuring four fours and a six—concluded with a top-edged catch off Usman in the 13th over. At that stage, with 71 needed off the last five overs, the Gladiators appeared to have the upper hand. Bhanuka Rajapaksa struggled, and his exit to Amir left Qalandars teetering.
Enter Raza, fresh from a Test match in England for Zimbabwe and arriving just 10 minutes before the toss, and Perera, a late addition to the squad after the PSL’s interruption due to Pakistan-India skirmishes. Raza ignited the comeback, smashing his first two balls—off Amir—for a four and a six to mid-wicket. Perera took charge, hammering Khurram Shahzad for two sixes and then punishing Amir in the penultimate over with two fours and a slog-swept six.
With 13 required off the final over, Hasan Nawaz’s acrobatic boundary save kept Gladiators alive. But Raza responded with an audacious six over point and a deft wristy shot to clinch the win, sparking wild celebrations among the partisan Lahore crowd. Shaheen ran to hoist Raza onto his shoulders, a fitting tribute to the Zimbabwean’s heroics.
Sikandar Raza
Zimbabwean cricketer Sikandar Raza made an extraordinary 24-hour journey from Birmingham to Lahore on Sunday to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final, where he struck the winning runs for the Qalandars.
Raza had just completed a Test match for Zimbabwe against England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. He scored 60 runs in Zimbabwe’s second innings before being holed out, but his side suffered an innings and 45-run defeat to Ben Stokes’ team. With the Test concluded, Raza’s immediate priority shifted to reaching Lahore in time for the PSL final.
The veteran all-rounder boarded an economy flight from the UK to Dubai, faced a six-hour layover, and then took another flight from Abu Dhabi to Lahore. He was still traveling to the Gaddafi Stadium when Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Afridi confirmed his inclusion in the playing XI at the toss for the showdown with Quetta Gladiators.
“I am here to do a job, and God forbid, if we happened to lose the game then at least in my heart I knew I was with my brothers,” Raza said after the match.
He praised the lengths to which the Qalandars’ management went to secure his arrival.
“I know the team truly wanted me here, given the efforts the owners and the captains went through over the last 24-36 hours to get me here. If I tell you, it’s unbelievable,” he said.
Raza detailed the exhausting schedule that defined his journey.
“Bowled 25 overs [in the Test] the day before yesterday, batted for 20 overs yesterday. Had dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, drove to Abu Dhabi for lunch, took a flight and had dinner in Pakistan. I guess this is the life of a professional cricketer and I’m truly humbled and blessed to have that life,” he said.
In the final, Raza proved his worth. He claimed the key wicket of Rilee Rossouw with the ball and later delivered a match-defining performance with the bat. Entering the crease with the Qalandars under pressure in their chase of 202 runs, the 39-year-old blasted 22 runs off seven balls, including two fours and two sixes, to clinch victory with a ball to spare.
Raza credited his focus under fatigue for the explosive finish.
“I tried to take the emotions out,” he said. “I think all the journey and the Test match helped me because I was so mentally and physically drained. All I was saying to myself was just watch the ball. I was blank out there. I wasn’t predicting or thinking where the ball’s going to be and what I’m going to do. All I said was wherever the ball is hit the best shot.”
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