By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Holders Lahore Qalandars launched their Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 11 in commanding fashion with a 69-run victory over debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen at Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, combining fluent batting with disciplined bowling to set the tone for their title defence.
A solid fifty from Fakhar Zaman and a composed unbeaten knock by Haseebullah Khan powered Lahore to a competitive 199 for six after they opted to bat first. The Kingsmen, chasing a daunting target, never recovered from early setbacks and were bowled out for 130 in their allotted 20 overs.
Fakhar, fresh from a confidence-boosting outing against Bangladesh in Mirpur, anchored the innings with a brisk 53 off 39 balls, striking ten boundaries. The left-hander set the tempo early, notably taking 20 runs off a single over from Mohammad Ali with four glorious fours and brought up his fifty in 36 deliveries.
The innings also marked a personal milestone for Fakhar, who became only the second batsman in the PSL history to cross the 3,000-run mark, reaching 3,017 runs. He trails Babar Azam, the league’s leading run-scorer with 3,792.
An 84-run opening partnership with Mohammad Naeem, who contributed a lively 30 off 19 balls, laid a solid platform. However, a middle-order wobble briefly slowed Lahore’s momentum before Haseebullah steadied the innings with an unbeaten 40 off 28 balls.
The young wicketkeeper-batsman found support in Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza, whose quickfire 24 off 10 balls injected late impetus. Lahore surged in the final over from Mohammad Ali as Shaheen Afridi and Asif Ali struck powerful blows, with the last over yielding 22 runs.
For Hyderabad, Australia’s Riley Meredith and spinner Hassan Khan claimed two wickets each, though Mohammad Ali endured an expensive outing, conceding 50 runs in three overs.
In reply, Hyderabad faltered early against a disciplined Lahore attack. Shaheen Afridi struck in the third over to remove Usman Khan (9) while Ubaid Shah dismissed Saim Ayub (17) soon after, leaving the Kingsmen struggling at 33 for two.
Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera fell cheaply, trapped lbw by Raza, and further damage followed as Bangladesh paceman Mustafizur Rahman removed Irfan Khan. Hyderabad’s hopes dimmed further when captain Marnus Labuschagne, who top-scored with 26, was dismissed in the ninth over, leaving the side reeling at 65 for five.
From there, Lahore tightened their grip. Haris Rauf and Ubaid Shah struck at regular intervals, with Rauf also removing Rizwan Mahmood, as wickets tumbled and the chase lost momentum. Hyderabad slipped to 101 for eight before being bowled out, with Meredith unbeaten on 19.
Rauf, Ubaid and Raza finished with two wickets apiece, underlining a clinical all-round performance by the defending champions.
Earlier, Maryam Nawaz attended a brief opening ceremony at a sparsely populated venue, with matches being held behind closed doors amid an ongoing fuel crisis. She was received by Mohsin Naqvi, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Match officials included umpires Ahsan Raza and Alex Wharf, television umpire Asif Yaqoob and reserve umpire Tariq Rasheed, while Roshan Mahanama served as match referee.
Fakhar Zaman was adjudged as man of the match for his glorious fifty. In Friday’s fixture, Karachi Kings will take on Quetta Gladiators at the same venue.
