Raza the hero as Lahore beat Quetta for third Pakistan Super League trophy
All-rounder Sikandar Raza has written his name in Pakistan cricket folklore after hitting the match-winning six as the Lahore Qalandars beat the Quetta Gladiators by six wickets to win the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Raza, who was part of Zimbabwe's Test team until Saturday afternoon, joined the Qalandars' playing XI 10 minutes prior to the toss for the final on Sunday evening in Pakistan's eastern metropolis.
The Pakistan-born off-break bowler and lower-middle-order batter took one wicket and scored 22 runs off seven balls as Lahore chased a target of 202 with one ball to spare.
Lahore's run chase was largely built around Kusal Perera's 62 runs, with support from top-order batters Mohammad Naeem and Abdullah Shafique, but it was Raza's whirlwind journey from the United Kingdom to Pakistan and his subsequent role in hitting the winning runs that stole the show and Lahori hearts.
The 39-year-old recounted his last 24 hours by saying he had 'dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, lunch in Abu Dhabi and flew straight to Lahore for the PSL final'.
Raza bowled 25 overs in the Test on Friday and batted for 20-plus overs on Saturday before leaving for Pakistan.
'To have a victory like this, I just have no words,' he said after the match.
The hosts finished on 204-4 from 19.5 overs to lift their third PSL trophy in four years, making Shaheen Shah Afridi the only captain to win three PSL titles.
Earlier, Quetta posted a formidable total of 201-9 in their 20 overs as young batter Hasan Nawaz scored 76 runs off 43 balls and Faheem Ashraf cracked three sixes and two fours in an innings of 28 off eight balls.
Afridi was the pick of the Lahore bowlers, taking 3-24 in his four overs.
Perera was named player of the match for his instrumental innings that kept Lahore in the match until the last over.
Meanwhile, Nawaz was named player of the tournament for amassing 399 runs in the competition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Pakistan sweep series against Bangladesh as Haris hits 107 in third T20I
A nerveless century from Mohammad Haris has led Pakistan's chase of 197 runs to win the third T20 international cricket match against Bangladesh and complete a 3-0 series win in Lahore. Having won the first two matches after choosing to bowl first, Pakistan asked the visitors to bat first in the third match on Sunday at Gaddafi Stadium in Pakistan's eastern metropolis. Given a tricky target of 197, Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan – their highest scorer in the second T20I – in the first over to Mehidy Hasan Miraz. While the Pakistan of old may have crumbled under the pressure of losing a quick wicket, the new-look side under young captain Salman Agha and freshly-appointed coach Mike Hesson kept up their scoring rate. Saim Ayub and Haris formed a 92-run partnership as they took on the Bangladeshi bowling attack to maintain a high scoring rate and keep the target within sight. Ayub was dismissed in the 10th over by Tanzim Hasan Sakib after scoring 45 runs off 29 balls, but by then, Haris had taken on the role of the main hitter and kept the big shots coming. The wicketkeeper-batter hit seven sixes and eight fours in his 46-ball 107, which kept Bangladesh out of contention for most of Pakistan's innings. He was all smiles as he accepted the Player of the Match award and said that despite not performing well for Pakistan in the recent past, he kept working hard. 'I tried to learn from my mistakes and didn't want to waste this opportunity that I got to play in this series,' he said. Haris added that he batted with the simple plan of 'see ball, play ball' and didn't want to play any unnecessary shots. Earlier, Bangladesh's innings had got off to a swift start when Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan overpowered Pakistan's opening bowlers Ayub and Faheem Ashraf. They set up an opening stand of 110, but the Bangladeshi batting lineup derailed soon after Tanzid's departure in the 11th over. Despite starts from captain Litton Das (22 runs) and Towhid Hridoy (25 runs), the Tigers were unable to maintain the scoring rate set by the openers. A total of 196-6 in 20 overs ensured the home team faced some pressure when they came out to bat, but Pakistan's array of attacking batters disregarded scoreboard pressure and took their team home with 16 balls to spare. Pakistan captain Salman, who was on the pitch with Haris when the winning runs were scored, said he was delighted with his team's consistency. 'We want to test ourselves where things become difficult, and we wanted to chase to put the boys under pressure,' Salman explained after the match. The 3-0 series sweep was Pakistan's first since 2021.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Pakistan seal T20 series against Bangladesh with 57-run win
Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 57 runs in the second T20 international in Lahore to seal the three-game series 2-0. Opener Sahibzada Farhan was named Player of the Match after he top scored with 74 for the hosts, who won the toss at Gaddafi Stadium before posting 201-6. It was a fair fight back from Bangladesh to restrict the hosts after Hasan Nawaz recorded the best strike rate of the innings with an unbeaten 51 off 26 balls. Tanzim Hasan gave some respectability to the chase, which was reduced to 77-7, when, coming in at nine, the Bangladesh bowling allrounder added 50 off 31 balls. Abrar Ahmed's off-break spin was key to restricting the tourists as he claimed 3-19 off his four overs to help Pakistan to their first T20 home series win since December 2021. 'It feels very good … I didn't know it was three and a half years,' the Pakistan captain Salman Agha said afterwards of the end of the barren run. 'It was a complete performance, and that is way better than anything else. 'Everyone is loving the team environment where everyone can come and enjoy playing for Pakistan.' Pakistan, who won the first match by 37 runs at the same venue, brought in opener Sahibzada in place of Fakhar Zaman. The decision was fully repaid with six sixes and four fours recorded by the right-hander in his 41-ball innings. The match could not have got off to a worse start for Bangladesh with Shoriful Islam limping out of his first bowl. The left-arm seamer appeared to tweak a groin while fielding the ball in his follow-through and adds to a long list of absent pacers for the tourists. 'When Shoriful was injured, the momentum shifted,' the Bangladesh skipper Litton Das said. 'We have a lack of bowling, but we came back well because I would back our batters any day to chase 200 on this track. 'Whoever is batting well has to keep going, for 13 or 14 overs, but after four overs we didn't bat well and there were back-to-back wickets. 'In cricket, you have to do the basics, we don't do it at the moment.' Bangladesh had reached 44-0 in the fourth over of the chase before the collapse that ended their hopes of bouncing back from the opening defeat. Opener Tanzid Hasan struck 33 from 19 balls in the stand, but once he fell to the seam of Faheem Ashraf an inevitable end quickly formed. The last match is on Sunday, also in Lahore.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Al Jazeera
LIVE: Pakistan vs Bangladesh – second T20I cricket commentary stream
Pakistan host Bangladesh in the second T20 international of their three-match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan begins at 8pm (15:00 GMT).The hosts won the first T20I on Wednesday by 37 series is part of both nations' preparations for the next ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which will be played in February and March up to date: Follow Al Jazeera Sport on our website and on X for the latest news, features and live events from around the world. Update: Date: 4m ago (12:25 GMT) Title: Poll open: Pakistan or Bangladesh? Content: Pick your winner in our poll on X: Update: Date: 14m ago (12:16 GMT) Title: Lahore win third PSL title in last-over thriller Content: Prior to the T20 series, the Pakistan Super League – the country's premier T20 franchise competition – concluded with a thrilling final on Sunday, May 25. Here's how the final unfolded All-rounder Sikandar Raza wrote his name in Pakistan cricket folklore after hitting the match-winning six as the Lahore Qalandars beat the Quetta Gladiators by six wickets to win the PSL 2025 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Raza, who was part of Zimbabwe's Test team until Saturday afternoon, joined the Qalandars' playing XI 10 minutes prior to the toss for the final on Sunday evening in Pakistan's eastern metropolis. The Pakistan-born off-break bowler and lower-middle-order batter took one wicket and scored 22 runs off seven balls as Lahore chased a target of 202 with one ball to spare. Lahore's run chase was largely built around Kusal Perera's 62 runs, with support from top-order batters Mohammad Naeem and Abdullah Shafique, but it was Raza's whirlwind journey from the United Kingdom to Pakistan and his subsequent role in hitting the winning runs that stole the show and Lahori hearts. Click here to read our full match report or here to review our live coverage. Update: Date: 28m ago (12:01 GMT) Title: Welcome to our live coverage Content: Hello, welcome and thanks for joining our live coverage of the T20 International (T20I) cricket series between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Hosts Pakistan are in the ascendancy after winning the opening match comfortably, by 37 runs, on Wednesday, but the visitors will look to make things even tonight. The match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore begins at 8pm (15:00 GMT). I'm Hafsa Adil, bringing you all the pre-match build-up with key talking points, team news, social media buzz and toss before Kevin Hand joins us for the live photo and text commentary of the action. Stay with Al Jazeera as we gear up for another promising T20I encounter in Lahore.
