Lahore Qalandars savored their maiden of the ongoing Pakistan Super League 2022 as they defeated Karachi Kings by six wickets at the National Stadium, Karachi on Sunday. The Qalandars were able to chase a competitive total of 171 runs after Fakhar Zaman scored a fine knock of 106 runs off just 60 balls with the help of a dozen fours and four sixes.
Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said that the plan to play positive and show intent. The Qalandars were successful in their plans and came up with a fine collective effort in the sixth match of the tournament.
Rashid Khan was able to put the brakes in the middle overs as he conceded only 24 runs in his quota of four overs whereas Haris Rauf scalped three wickets in his four overs. Thus, Lahore Qalandars were able to keep Karachi Kings to 170 despite the fact that the opposition got off to a flying start.
Shaheen Shah Afridi said in the post-match presentation, “The plan was to play positive cricket and show intent. We wanted to go for wickets and Rashid especially did a great job in between. Then Haris also bowled well. Yes, we have a good attack and all bowled well. Senior players are helping me (in captaincy), mistakes can happen from me, so they are there to guide me. The way Fakhar has improved daily, credit is fully his. Hope that he can keep continuing doing this for us and Pakistan”.
On the other hand, Fakhar Zaman played a fantastic knock as he batted at the top of his game to help his team get close to the target. Mohammad Hafeez and Samit Patel added the finishing touches for Lahore Qalandars.
Zaman was delighted with his performance and said that the plan was to take one ball at a time.
He said after being adjudged the Player of the match, “I’m just trying to take it one ball at a time. Not trying to do anything different from what I used to do earlier. It was gripping for their spinners, so I took that chance (in Imad’s final over). You can always get those big runs if you have wickets in hand. I’m getting more and more aware of my game, so it’s helping me to avoid those overaggressive slogs”.
Lahore Qalandars will look to build on the winning momentum in their upcoming matches. Shaheen Shah Afridi-led will next take on Peshawar Zalmi on Wednesday.
