PSL champions

Lahore Qalandars have been talking big since the inception of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). But before last Sunday they had never managed to walk the talk. Under the command of the talismanic Shaheen Shah Afridi they finally did – and that too in front of over 27,000 boisterous fans at Lahore’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium. Before their impressive 43-run triumph in the final against Multan Sultans – by far the toughest team to beat in PSL 7 – Qalandars were seen by pundits as the perennial under-achievers. They were good at making the hype but somehow always fell short of proving their mettle on the cricket field. But on a pleasant Sunday night in Lahore, everything fell into place for them. While the Sultans surprisingly came up with their worst showing of the tournament in the game that mattered the most, Qalandars were finally in their element. The aging Mohammad Hafeez, who many believed was a burden for Lahore, clicked just at the right time as he sizzled with both the bat and ball to become the lead architect of Sunday’s memorable victory.

Skipper Shaheen Afridi was as usual at his brilliant best. So was Namibia’s David Wiese, who is probably the one player Lahoris love the most at the moment. Fakhar Zaman, one of Lahore’s biggest heroes with the bat, played his role, as did the previously unheralded pacer Zaman Khan, who was later named as the Emerging Player of PSL 7. Together they managed to put aside the bitter memories of the past (Lahore had mostly flopped in all previous editions of PSL) and catapulted the Qalandars to a much-needed title-winning triumph.

If there is one PSL team that deserved to win the trophy it was Lahore – and not just because they had never won it previously. Over the years, Lahore have invested heavily in youngsters and have unearthed a lot of talented players. They roped in big stars like Shaheen, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, Fakhar Zaman and managed to gel them with lesser known but equally good cricketers. And they have finally reaped the rewards. It was unlucky for Sultans that their rare off day came in the final. They completely dominated the best part of the PSL with stellar performances from the likes of Mohammad Rizwan. They came very close to becoming the first team in PSL history to defend its title. But it was Lahore who became seventh-time lucky. All in all, this was a successful edition of the PSL despite the threat of Covid-19. The league continues to grow despite all odds and, with plans to take it to other cities like Peshawar and Multan, the future looks even better.