Lahore provided their fans with a thorough performance to see off Islamabad in the PSL eliminator. With this victory, they have guaranteed themselves a place in the final set on Sunday. Played at Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium, Islamabad fell short in a big way while chasing a stiff target of 203 runs. After winning the toss, it was no surprise when Lahore decided to bat first and set a strong Lahore total of 202-8.
Islamabad’s innings began in disastrous fashion. It wasn’t long before the team was in dire straits, collapsing to 12-3 in the first four overs. This way too early death knell would prove costly, as they were unable to bounce back during the rest of their batspeed. Islamabad ended the regular season in second, one point and two positions above Lahore. Their performance was abysmal in the penultimate eliminator match, underachieving in the big game.
Despite going on to win only one more game that season, that team had started the season with a magical run, winning their first five games. Unfortunately, they stumbled from there, winning just one of their subsequent seven contests. Their excellent run of form carried on into this game. They were eventually bowled out for only 107 runs, with 29 balls still to go.
Salman Ali Agha and Shadab Khan tried to steady the ship by putting on 39 runs for the fifth wicket. However, this partnership wasn’t enough to stop the collapse. This Lahore bowling attack turned out to be quite intimidating as it was spearheaded by Salman Mirza who bagged three wickets for only 16 runs. Shaheen Shah Afridi had a career performance. He went on to register the most economical bowling figure in PSL history, capping it off with a brilliant 3/3 in 3.1 overs.
Afridi’s exceptional performance included taking the final wicket of Haider Ali, sealing Islamabad’s fate. The left-arm pacer was well supported by Tymal Mills, who made his Lahore debut and took 3-42.
On the batting side, Kusal Perera was at his explosive best for Lahore, smashing 61 runs from just 35 balls. Mohammad Naeem gave a good account as an opener, scoring 50 runs off 25 balls. These efforts allowed Lahore to put together a winning bid that Islamabad simply could not compete with.
On the pitch, Lahore has found great success in the 2022 and 2023 PSL seasons. Currently, they are hungry to win a third straight title, as they take on the Quetta Gladiators, who finished first in the table and recently beat Islamabad in the qualifying final.
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