Just over 24 hours after representing Zimbabwe in a Test match against England at Trent Bridge, Sikandar Raza delivered a match-winning performance to guide Lahore Qalandars to a dramatic Pakistan Super League (PSL) title win.

Raza, 39, struck a six and a four off consecutive balls to chase down a daunting 202-run target against Quetta Gladiators, sealing the victory with one delivery remaining. 

His unbeaten partnership of 59 runs with Kusal Perera in the final overs marked the highest successful run chase in PSL final history.

Sharing the whirlwind journey that led to his heroic finish, Raza said, “I had dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, lunch in Abu Dhabi, and dinner again in Pakistan. This is the life of a professional cricketer. I’m humbled and blessed.”

Quetta had posted a formidable 201-9 after electing to bat, with Hasan Nawaz smashing 76 off 43 deliveries. Lahore’s captain and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi led the bowling attack with figures of 3-24.

Raza, who arrived at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore just 10 minutes before the toss, had already made an impact earlier in the match, claiming the crucial wicket of Rilee Rossouw and finishing with 1-43. 

With Lahore reeling after a mid-innings slowdown—scoring just 48 runs since the halfway mark—Raza reignited the chase with a four and a six off Mohammad Amir.

Perera followed suit, launching three sixes and two fours in the next 12 balls, reducing the target to 13 from the final over. After five runs came from the first three deliveries, Raza sealed the title with a flat six over point and a crisp four through mid-wicket.

Lahore, who finished fourth in the league stage, clinched their third PSL title in four years after a stunning knockout run.

Source: BBC

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