KARACHI: Fakhar Zaman’s hard-hitting helped Shaheen Shah Afridi-led Lahore Qalandars put up an impressive score on the board in the third match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Shaheen had been put to bat first after losing the toss, but the decision did bear fruit, and the Qalandars were able to make their highest ever score of 206 for the loss of four wickets.
Fakhar Zaman made 76 off 35 balls, with the help of 11 fours and two sixes, while Kamran Ghulam smashed 43 off 31 balls with the help of two fours and three sixes.
The fall of wickets began in the ninth over when Khushdil Shah picked up the first and crucial wicket of Abdullah Shafiq (24), who was on a roll with his opening partner Fakhar Zaman.
Later in the 12th over, Imran Tahir took the wicket of Fakhar (76), piling up pressure on the Qalandars.
Mohammad Hafeez was the third man to go for 16 of 12 balls and the man to dismiss him was Kushdil. Meanwhile, David Willey picked up the fourth wicket of Kamran Ghulam (43) in the 18th over.
Defending champions Multan Sultans are playing their second fixture today and leading the point table with a victory against Karachi Kings.
Meanwhile, Lahore Qalandars are playing their first match of the season with Shaheen Shah Afridi as their captain.
The two sides have faced each other in nine matches in the PSL history with Sultans winning five and Qalandars claiming victories in four encounters.
The Sultans did extremely well against 2019 title-holder Karachi Kings in their opener and will be looking to carry the same momentum while going into their clash against Qalandars.
