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Khaleej Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
PSL 2025: Zimbabwe's Raza arrives in the nick of time to lead Lahore to title
Zimbabwe's Test defeat by England inside three days at Trent Bridge proved good fortune for Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalandars after all-rounder Sikandar Raza arrived just in time to help them clinch their third title in four years on Sunday. Just 24 hours after Zimbabwe fell to an innings defeat in England, Raza arrived at Gaddafi Stadium 10 minutes before the toss and hit the winning runs as Lahore chased down the 202 they needed for a six-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators. "Bowled 25 overs the day before yesterday, batted for 20-odd overs yesterday, I had dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, and drove to Abu Dhabi for lunch," Raza said. "Took a flight and had a dinner in Pakistan. This is the life of a professional cricketer. I'm truly humbled and blessed to have the life." The 39-year-old, who had scored a half-century against England on Saturday, joined Kusal Perera in an unbeaten 59-run partnership in the last 20 balls to complete the highest successful chase in a PSL final. With Lahore needing eight off the final three balls, Raza smacked a six before sealing victory with a four to guide his team to victory with one ball to spare. He also picked up the wicket of Rilee Rossouw in Quetta's innings of 201.
CNA
26-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Zimbabwe's Raza arrives in the nick of time to lead Lahore to PSL title
Zimbabwe's test defeat by England inside three days at Trent Bridge proved good fortune for Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalandars after all-rounder Sikandar Raza arrived just in time to help them clinch their third title in four years on Sunday. Just 24 hours after Zimbabwe fell to an innings defeat in England, Raza arrived at Gaddafi Stadium 10 minutes before the toss and hit the winning runs as Lahore chased down the 202 they needed for a six-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators. "Bowled 25 overs the day before yesterday, batted for 20-odd overs yesterday, I had dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, and drove to Abu Dhabi for lunch," Raza said. "Took a flight and had a dinner in Pakistan. This is the life of a professional cricketer. I'm truly humbled and blessed to have the life." The 39-year-old, who had scored a half-century against England on Saturday, joined Kusal Perera in an unbeaten 59-run partnership in the last 20 balls to complete the highest successful chase in a PSL final. With Lahore needing eight off the final three balls, Raza smacked a six before sealing victory with a four to guide his team to victory with one ball to spare. He also picked up the wicket of Rilee Rossouw in Quetta's innings of 201.
Reuters
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Zimbabwe's Raza arrives in the nick of time to lead Lahore to PSL title
May 26 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's test defeat by England inside three days at Trent Bridge proved good fortune for Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalandars after all-rounder Sikandar Raza arrived just in time to help them clinch their third title in four years on Sunday. Just 24 hours after Zimbabwe fell to an innings defeat in England, Raza arrived at Gaddafi Stadium 10 minutes before the toss and hit the winning runs as Lahore chased down the 202 they needed for a six-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators. "Bowled 25 overs the day before yesterday, batted for 20-odd overs yesterday, I had dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, and drove to Abu Dhabi for lunch," Raza said. "Took a flight and had a dinner in Pakistan. This is the life of a professional cricketer. I'm truly humbled and blessed to have the life." The 39-year-old, who had scored a half-century against England on Saturday, joined Kusal Perera in an unbeaten 59-run partnership in the last 20 balls to complete the highest successful chase in a PSL final. With Lahore needing eight off the final three balls, Raza smacked a six before sealing victory with a four to guide his team to victory with one ball to spare. He also picked up the wicket of Rilee Rossouw in Quetta's innings of 201.
Times of Oman
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Perera, Sikandar inspire Qalandars to third HBL PSL title
Lahore: Shaheen Shah Afridi's Lahore Qalandars romped to their third HBL PSL title in four years as they beat Quetta Gladiators by six wickets in a thrilling last-over finale here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Sunday night in front of a packed house. Qalandars, who notched their second-highest successful chase, hunted down the 202-run target with one ball to spare as they became the second team besides Islamabad United to bag three HBL PSL titles in the tournament's 10-year history. The successful 202-run chase by Qalandars is also the highest target surmounted by a team in a T20 final. Kusal Perera, who top-scored for Qalandars with a blazing 62 not out, joined forces with Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza to help their team complete a come-from-behind triumph as the duo stitched an unbeaten 19-ball 59-run fifth-wicket stand. Qalandars required 57 off 20 balls when the Perera and Sikandar got together with the latter making his mark right from the get-go as he struck a six and a four against Mohammad Amir off his first two balls to close off the 17th over of the innings. In the subsequent over, Perera struck two sixes against Khurram Shahzad consigning him for 16 runs. With the required rate above 15, the penultimate over saw Qalandars ransacking 18 runs as Perera again smacked Amir for two fours and a six on the last ball to bring the equation down to 13 required off the final over. Faheem Ashraf gave away only five runs on the first three balls before Raza (22 not out, 7b) bludgeoned a sensational six over deep cover-point followed by a four – the winning shot, to seal the title for Qalandars. Perera, who harvested 170 runs in four games this season, backed up his Eliminator two half-century with the match-winning unbeaten fifty in final in which he hit five fours and four sixes facing 31 balls. After Qalandars were 85-2 in the ninth over, Perera also stitched a 30-run partnership each with Abdullah Shafique (41, 28b, 4x4s, 1x6) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (14, 16b, 1x4, 1x6) to keep the innings intact. At the start of the chase, Mohammad Naeem provided his team with a head-start as he struck six sixes and one four in his 27-ball 46 including a 39-run opening stand with Fakhar Zaman (11, 10b, 2x4s) and a steady 46-run second-wicket partnership with Abdullah. Naeem set the tone for Lahore's successful chase by striking four sixes in a space of five balls across the second and third overs helping his team collect 56 runs off the Powerplay. Qalandars were 97-2 at the halfway stage before they belted the required remaining 105 runs off the next 9.5 overs. Earlier, Quetta Gladiators posted their third-highest total of the HBL PSL X after stumbling to 21-2 with Shaheen and Mohammad Salman Mirza removing the both openers cheaply. Gladiators' top run-scorer in the innings and best batter of the tournament Hasan Nawaz fought back with 76 off 43 balls keeping the run flow going. Hasan and Rilee Rossouw wrestled back with a 19-ball 37-run stand after two early blows, which also saw their team finish the Powerplay with 57-2. Sikandar then removed Rossouw bringing on Avishka Fernando (29, 22b, 5x4) to the crease as he partnered Hasan for the next 6.3 overs. The duo struck nine fours and two sixes collectively in a 67-run stand for the fourth wicket to keep Lahore's bowling attack on their toes. Dinesh Chandimal too helped Gladiators by assisting Hasan in a brisk 46-run stand, where the experienced Sri Lankan batter hit two sixes before departing in the 18th over for a 13-ball 22. Shaheen and Haris Rauf then stemmed Gladiators' progress by delivering a two-wicket over each for eight runs collectively as the 2019 champions found themselves 178-8 in 19 overs. The last over of the innings saw Faheem hit Salman Mirza for three towering sixes and a four to collect 23 runs before falling for an eight-ball 28 on the last ball of the innings. For Lahore, skipper Shaheen, also the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 19 scalps, returned impressive figures of 4-0-24-3, while Salman and Haris picked up two wickets each. Scores in brief: Match 34: Final – Lahore Qalandars beat Quetta Gladiators by six wickets at Gaddafi Stadium Quetta Gladiators 201-9, 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 76, Avishka Fernando 29, Faheem Ashraf 28, Rilee Rossouw 22, Dinesh Chandimal 22; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-24, Haris Rauf 2-41, Mohammad Salman Mirza 2-51) Lahore Qalandars 204-4, 19.5 overs (Kusal Perera 62 not out, Mohammad Naeem 46, Abdullah Shafique 41, Sikandar Raza 22 not out; Abrar Ahmed 1-27) Player of the final – Kusal Perera (Lahore Qalandars) Best batter of the tournament – Hasan Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators) – 399 runs in 12 matches Best bowler of the tournament – Abrar Ahmed (Quetta Gladiators) – 17 wickets in 12 matches Best wicket-keeper of the tournament – Mohammad Haris (Peshawar Zalmi) – 247 runs & 12 dismissals in 10 matches Best fielder of the tournament – Abdul Samad (Peshawar Zalmi) – Nine catches in five matches Emerging player of the tournament – Mohammad Naeem (Lahore Qalandars) – 316 runs and seven catches in 12 matches Best all-rounder of the tournament – Faheem Ashraf (Quetta Gladiators) – 163 runs and 17 wickets in 12 matches
Express Tribune
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Lahore Qalandars clinch HBL PSLX title
Lahore Qalanders players celebrate with the HBL PSLX Trophy at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Photo: M Shafiq Awan/express Listen to article A breathtaking 59-run match-winning partnership off just 37 balls between Kusal Perera and Sikandar Raza propelled Lahore Qalandars to a nail-biting six-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators and lifting the HBL PSL X title in front of a packed house of 34,000 fans at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday night. By virtue of their victory, the Qalandars became only the second team to achieve this milestone three times, emulating the feat of Islamabad United. In a thrilling chase of 202 runs, Lahore Qalandars began aggressively with Mohammad Naeem and Fakhar Zaman laying a strong foundation. The duo put together a 39-run opening partnership, setting the tone for the innings. However, the partnership was broken when Fakhar was dismissed by Abrar Ahmed after scoring just 11 runs off 10 balls, including two boundaries. Abdullah Shafique then joined Naeem at the crease, and the pair quickly accelerated, hitting boundaries and building a crucial second-wicket partnership. The 26-year-old was in fiery form as he approached his PSL 10 fifty, but his innings came to an end courtesy of Faheem Ashraf. The opening batter scored a valuable 47 runs off 27 deliveries, featuring a boundary and six sixes. His dismissal ended the important 46-run stand, with the team positioned at 85 for 2 after 8.4 overs. Abdullah Shafique continued to impress, forging a 30-run partnership with Kusal Perera, who also contributed important runs with his eyes set on surpassing the target. The partnership was eventually broken by Usman Tariq, who dismissed Shafique. Shafique played a fiery knock of 41 runs off 28 balls, including four boundaries and a six, with the team at 115 for 3 in 12.3 overs. In the 17th over, Mohammad Amir picked up his first wicket, dismissing Rajapaksa, who scored 14 off 16, leaving the side at 145-4 in 16.4 overs. Sikandar Raza and Perera then went on a rampage and started hitting boundaries to finally earn a grand win for Qalandars. Earlier, after winning the toss and electing to bat first, Quetta suffered an early setback as captain Saud Shakeel was dismissed by Qalandars' skipper and left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi for just four runs off six balls, leaving the Gladiators at 17-1 in 2.4 overs. Quetta's troubles continued in the next over when Salman Mirza removed Finn Allen for 12 off 11 deliveries, putting the side under early pressure. However, a 38-run partnership between Rilee Rossouw and Hasan Nawaz steadied the innings. Dinesh Chandimal then joined Nawaz and provided valuable support, striking two sixes off Sikandar Raza in the 17th over to propel the score to 170-4. Shaheen Afridi returned to halt the charge, removing Chandimal for a brisk 22 off 13 balls. Two balls later, he struck again, dismissing the well-set Hasan Nawaz for a brilliant 76 off 43 deliveries, reducing Quetta to 172-6 in 17.5 overs. However, Faheem Ashraf played a vital cameo in the final over, smashing 28 off just eight balls, including multiple boundaries, to help Quetta breach the 200-run mark. He was dismissed on the final delivery of the innings. Tribute paid to Pakistan Navy Rich tributes were paid to the officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Navy in the innings break during the PSL X final. The ceremony was attended by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, US embassy Islamabad Charge D'affaires Natalie Baker, senior civil and military leadership were present on the occasion. Lahore win prize of $500,000, Quetta $200,000 as runners-up.
