PSL 2023: Lahore Qalandars beat Islamabad United to secure palce in qualifiers

At the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday, Lahore Qalandars defeated Islamabad United by 119 runs in the 26th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023.

Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan demonstrated his value on a batting pitch during the game by taking four wickets and assisting the Qalandars in limiting United’s potent batting line to 107-9. In his four-over spell, Rashid took four wickets for just 21 runs. With two wickets each, Zaman Khan and Haris Rauf helped the Qalandars further their defense of a massive target of 227.

In the first innings, United was dealt a blow when Azam Khan, a hard-hitting batter, injured his finger. He was unable to bat tonight. Hassan Ali and Alex Hales each scored 18 runs. Earlier, Fakhar Zaman of the Qalandars scored his second hundred while leading his team to a 226-5 victory. Qalandars lost opener Abdullah Shafique in the first over after electing to bat first. Abdullah was captured by Fazalhaq Farooqi with a full-length delivery. From there, Fakhar and Kamran Ghulam carried the innings, and they did so aggressively. Fakhar, who has been in excellent form all season, smashed the ball all over the place.

Fakhar scored his second hundred of the competition after receiving three lifelines—two dropped catches and a successful review. In Kamran’s partnership, he scored 122 runs off of 62 balls. Before losing to Mohammad Wasim Jr., Kamran was able to score 41 points off of 30. Fakhar, however, continued on and teamed up with Sam Billings to score 70 runs in total. In just 57 balls, Fakhar was able to score 115 runs, including eight boundaries and the same number of sixes. Billings made 32 off of 22. Rashid Khan’s quick 15 runs for Qalandars also contributed to their high total. Farooqi took three wickets for United, while Hassan Ali and Wasim each took one.