PSL 2023: This win is for all those Pakistani people who seek joy in PSL – Shaheen Shah Afridi

Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi dedicated the PSL title to all the Pakistani people who enjoy watching the tournament. LHQ won the thrilling contest against Multan Sultans by one run at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Saturday.

The home team posted a par score of 200 runs on the board after Abdullah Shafique scored a fine knock of 65 runs. However, it was Afridi who added the finishing touches to the score, racing to a fine cameo of 15-ball 44 with the help of five maximums.

On the other hand, Rilee Rossouw scored 52 runs for Multan Sultans. However, Mohammad Rizwan’s team middle order failed to get going. With 35 runs needed off the last two overs, it was Lahore Qalandars’ match. But Haris Rauf was taken for 22 runs in the penultimate over, which added a twist in the tale.

Zaman Khan was given the onus to bowl the final over and the youngster was able to defend 13 runs to help his team defend their title. This is the first time when a team has defended their title in the PSL and Shaheen Shah Afridi also became the first captain to win two PSL titles.

Afridi also took four wickets and thus he was awarded the Player of the Match for his all-round performance.

Afridi said in the post-match presentation, “To reach the final a second time and win again is a great feeling. Credit to the entire team and coaching staff for keeping us comfortable. I think it was tough early on when the momentum was swinging between them and us. But the idea was to fight till the very end and it paid off. At that time, I felt like I should go to bat and was lucky to get a few in the slot. This win is for all those Pakistani people who seek joy in PSL. They deserved a game like this.”

On the other hand, Multan Sultans skipper Mohammad Rizwan was proud of his team’s consistent performances throughout the season despite not going all the way.

Rizwan said, “There is always pressure in finals. 200 is a big target but we had the batting to chase it down. We were on track but just couldn’t finish the game. Credit goes to the entire team for getting us this far. Bowlers did their job when needed and the batters also performed to perfection. Lot of the special performers of the season were in my team. Only if we had got the title. But Shaheen and his boys played really well, and they deserve the title. It’s an achievement to reach the finals and we’ve done it thrice in a row now. It’s a great feeling.”