Fakhar, Farooq catapult Qalandars to third win
This is the seventh successive defeat for Rawalpindiz and so far nothing has worked for them in their debut season
By Alam Zeb Safi
KARACHI: Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Farooq struck blistering half-centuries to power Lahore Qalandars to a 32-run victory over struggling Rawalpindiz in the HBL PSL 11 on Saturday.
The win marks the third of the campaign for the Qalandars while Rawalpindiz’s nightmare season continued as they slumped to their seventh consecutive defeat.
Opting to bat first, Lahore’s openers laid a devastating foundation. Fakhar Zaman (84) and Mohammad Farooq (63) dismantled the Rawalpindiz attack with a 121-run opening stand. Farooq was the primary aggressor early on, clearing the ropes five times, while Fakhar anchored the innings with 11 boundaries and a six. Despite a late double-strike from Mohammad Amir (2-25), a quick-fire cameo from Asif Ali (14 off 6 balls) propelled Lahore to a formidable 210-4.
Rawalpindiz’s chase was derailed almost immediately by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who removed Shahzaib Khan for seven and then trapped captain Mohammad Rizwan lbw for nine within the first three overs. With the wicket of Rizwan Shaheen also joined Hasan Ali as the joint leading wicket-taker of the PSL as both have 135 wickets. However Shaheen has an edge over Hasan Ali as he has played 91 matches as compared to Hasan’s match-tally of 97.
Yasir Khan provided a spark of hope with a ferocious 58 off 29 balls, including six fours and three sixes, sharing a 50-run partnership with Daryl Mitchell. However, Haris Rauf (3-43) broke the momentum by removing both set batters in quick succession.
Saad Masood kept the fight alive from the lower middle order, racing to a 21-ball half-century, but he found little support from the other end. When Rauf eventually dismissed Masood for 54 in the final over, Rawalpindiz were left stranded at 178-9, well short of the target.
Summarised Scores:
Lahore Qalandars: 210-4 in 20 overs: Fakhar Zaman: 84 (54b, 11×4, 1×6), Mohammad Farooq: 63 (41b, 5×4, 5×6),
Abdullah Shafique: 26 (18b, 1×4, 2×6), Mohammad Amir 2-25, Razaullah 2-45
Rawalpindiz: 178-9 in 20 overs: Yasir Khan: 58 (29b, 6×4, 3×6), Saad Masood: 54 (26b, 9×4, 1×6), Haris Rauf 3-43 (4 overs), Shaheen Shah Afridi 2-19 (3 overs), Usama Mir 2-29 (4 overs)
Result: Lahore Qalandars won by 32 runs
Fakhar Zaman (Man of the match)
