Match Details

LHQ vs PSZ Eliminator 2, PSL 2023

LHQ

176-618.5

Lahore Qalandars won by 4 wickets 🏆

PSZ

20.0171-5

Match info

Live

Scorecard

Session	Open	PASS
6 Over	48	50
10 Over	81	81
15 Over	123	134

Session	Open	PASS
6 Over	52	54
10 Over	87	98
15 Over	143	123

Commentary

So, this is curtains down our coverage of the second eliminator of PSL 2023 between Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi. I am Saptak Sanyal , signing off from the game on the behalf of my co-commentators Amit Das and Saipavan Janaki with our scorer/analyst Manish Bishnoi. Hope you have enjoyed our coverage. Stay tuned for more live coverage of matches around the world and specially for the exciting PSL 2023 final tomorrow.
Good night.

Shaheen Shah Afridi ( Lahore Qalandars Captain): "There's always pressure in big games and when you lose the toss, you have to play with a big heart. We stayed positive throughout. We planned to use the new ball well as it was gripping well and we knew we had the batting depth to score some additional runs. The Lahore crowd has always supported us and hopefully, we will play well tomorrow."

Mirza Tahir Baig(Player of the Match): "My team trusted me very well and the team members backed me mainly Shaheen bhai gave me confidence and gave me chances. After Fakhar's wicket, Bhatti gave the momentum. Abdullah came out and told me to back myself. I did a good partnership with Sam and then run a ball. The wickets are in our hands, then will chase down easily and lastly, we are to run a ball and win this."

Stay tuned for the presentation ceremony.....

Babar Azam( Peshawar Zalmi Captain) : "The score is not as much as we expected before the match, we got a good start but they bowled well after and we thought around 180-185 but unfortunately not reached there. This wicket is helping the fast bowler at the start and after 10 overs it is difficult to bat but in the end, we are not up to the mark. I had a good experience and played with young stars and we discuss the situation according to the match and the short format we will take an immediate decision as I think I did well. I'm happy with my performance and will try more in the future."

Sikandar Raza ( Lahore Qalandars Player): "It's my second PSL. Happy to be playing in the finals as defending champions again. Thanks to the almighty. We tried to start off well, the rest will be taken care of. Decided to run well which kept us in the game always. We all looked up to ourselves. We planned ourselves, we did all to get fit for the game. Shaheen allows us to speak, and opens up to seniors for suggestions, he is brave. We were sure to restrict them before 180."

23:14 PM IST| Chasing 172 is always tough especially in this type of pitch and in front of experienced Peshawar Zalmi bowlers, it becomes more difficult.

Lahore Qalandars batters started the chase well with Mirza Baig smashing Mujeeb-ur-Rahman for a maximum in the very first over of the innings and Fakhar Zaman went for a boundary in the second over but soon Zaman became the victim of Azmatullah Omarzai when he tried to step out and lost his middle stump for 6. Ahsan Hafeez, the PSL debutant was the new man in and he started to hit everything that came in his way. He managed to hit a maximum and two boundaries before getting dismissed by Wahab Riaz by top edging one. After Ahsan got dismissed, the going rate for Qalandars got halted a bit as the openers Mirza Baig and Abdullah Shafique scored only 31 runs in the 26 balls while they were batting partners. The run rate pressure was high, the loose balls from Zalmi bowlers were less and right there they lost the momentum. They were looking for some quick run and eventually Baig ran Shafique out at 10. Now that debacle run out led them to 81/3 after the 10th.

The Qalandars batters changed their gears afterwards and Mirza Baig had hit a couple of boundaries and a massive one and reached his half century but just after that he edged one to Haseebullah Khan when he was on 54. After that it was a Sam Billings show, who scored 28 runs at 133.33 strike rate to make sure his team stays in a commanding position with just 39 needed off the last 5.

The 16th over from Jamal was off 12 runs and made the chase easier. But Salman Irshad came to bowl the 17th and his yorker in the very first legal ball of the over was fatal for Billings's knock and the right hander's cameo of 28 runs came to an end. David Wiese started the chase with a four and the asking rate came down to under six in an over then. Then Sikandar Raza got better of Qalandars bowlers with his experienced batting from the Peshawar Zalmis and his 14 balls 23 turned out to be a very useful knock. After Raza's dismissal the chase was only off keeping a cool mind and the batters did it for Qalandars.

In the first innings, an exceptional innings from swashbuckling Mohammad Haris of 85 helped Peshawar Zalmi to post 171 on a wicket that was tough to bat on. Some useful contributions were done by Babar Azam(42) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa(25*).

In the end, Lahore Qalandars were the better batting side and bagged the victory deservingly. It was a massively run rate maintained chase with a very minimal risk-taking by the Lahore batters and that was the thing needed when a chasing team is going well.

18.5 S Irshad to S Afridi

6 SIX!!! WINNING RUNS !!! Fuller length delivery, on the 5th line stump, Afridi hangs forward and lofts it over the bowler's head and the ball sails up in the air and into the stands for maximum runs. Lahore Qalandars are win this game by 4 wickets and into the finals.

One shot away from the victory.... !!!!

18.4 S Irshad to S Afridi

4 FOUR!!! Poor delivery from Irshad !! Full toss delivery on the outside the off stump line, Afridi clears his front leg and pulls it down the wide of long on for four.

18.3 S Irshad to D Wiese

1 Good length delivery, on the 5th stump line, Wiese pushes it to the off side for a single to rotate the strike.

18.2 S Irshad to S Afridi

1 Fuller length delivery, middle stump line, Afridi drives it back to the woods of the nonstriker end and the ball rolls to the mid off for a run.

Chance of redemption here for Shaheen, he can win with the bat now.

18.1 S Irshad to D Wiese

1lb Short of a length in the middle, taking pace off, Wiese misses the pull shot and hit on his stomach and takes a single, leg bye.

Unless the wickets tumble, the game looks easier for the Lahore Qalanders. Irshad with the penultimate over here.

OVER 18

Lahore Qalandars

163/6

Shaheen Afridi

0(1)

David Wiese

8(5)

Azmatullah Omarzai

2-30(4.0)

Wise call from Wiese ! He keeps the strike.

17.6 A Omarzai to D Wiese

1 Fuller length delivery, on the outside the off stump line, Wiese dabs it to the third man for a single to end the over.