— At 21, Shaheen Afridi becomes youngest captain to lift PSL trophy
LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars thrashed Multan Sultans by 42 runs in the final game of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Sunday to claim their first title in seven years.
The Sultans got off to a bad start in their 181-run chase as their top order was demolished early on and failed to deliver. Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed for 14, Shan Masood 19, and Aamer Azmat 6.
The Qalandars’ bowlers were impressive as Shaheen Afridi picked up three wickets, Mohammad Hafeez and Zaman Khan two each, and Haris Rauf and David Wiese one each.
Earlier, Lahore Qalandars had handed a 181-run target to Multan Sultans.
Lahore, after electing to bat first, got off to the worst possible start as they were reduced to 25-3 in 4.2 overs. The in-form Fakhar Zaman was removed for just three runs by Asif Afridi with Shahnawaz Dahani taking a great catch, while Abdullah Shafique was also removed by Asif.
After that, Mohammad Hafeez showed his experience and class as he steered the ship for Lahore by playing sensibly. With Kamran Ghulam, he forged an important 54-run partnership to steer the inning.
Hafeez took the attacking mode as he went after the opponent bowlers, and was finally removed for 69 runs by Dahani. He scored those runs off 46 balls with one six and nine fours.
After, his dismissal Harry Brook and David Wiese registered a 43-run stand in just 2.4 overs as they went rampant against the Multan bowlers.
Wiese remained not out for 28 runs off just eight balls with three sixes, while Brook scored 41 runs off 22 balls.
In terms of bowling for Multan, Asif was the stand out bowler with brilliant figures of 3-19 in four overs, while leggie Imran Tahir gave away just 22 runs in a wicket-less four-over spell. Dahani went to the cleaners in the late overs as he ended with figures of 1-34 in three overs. Rumman Raees conceded 35 runs in just two overs.
Shaheen youngest captain to lift trophy
Shaheen Afridi, who was impressive throughout the league achieved a tournament record as he led Lahore Qalandars to their maiden victory.
The 21-year-old became the youngest captain to lift the PSL trophy as Lahore handed Multan Sultans a 42-run defeat at the Gaddafi Stadium.
Before Shaheen, Mohammad Rizwan was the youngest captain, 28, to lead his side to victory. The Sultans won the PSL title in 2021.
The star left-arm pacer not only led Lahore Qalandars from the front as a skipper in this year’s PSL, but he was also brilliant with the bowl as he delivered some brilliant spells, especially with the new ball.
In the year’s league, he took 20 wickets — equaling Shadab Khan for most wickets — in 13 games and also clicked at a good pace along, and was also tight with his line and lengths.
