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PSL 2023: Babar Azam, Saim Ayub wreak havoc on Qalandars

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Peshawar Zalmi delivered an electrifying performance on Tuesday, crushing Lahore Qalandars by 35 runs in the 23rd match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

The Zalmi won the toss and decided to bat first against Qalandars, and it proved to be a wise decision.

Zalmi’s opening pair, Babar Azam and Saim Ayub, wreaked havoc on the Qalandars’ bowling attack, scoring an impressive 107 runs in just 66 balls.

Ayub was in top form and hit some breathtaking shots to all parts of the ground, smashing eight fours and three sixes to reach his fifty in just 26 balls.

The 20-year-old left-hander recorded his third half-century of the tournament and made the most of the field restrictions in the first six overs, scoring a rapid 43 in 24 balls to give Peshawar Zalmi a strong platform.

Babar Azam played the supporting role with a solid 41-ball 50, and the pair recorded a sparkling 107-run opening partnership.

Rashid Khan managed to break the partnership by dismissing Ayub in the 11th over, followed by Mohammad Haris, who fell to a top-edged sweep to Sikandar Raza in the next over.

Peshawar Zalmi looked set to post a mammoth total, but Lahore Qalandars made a decent comeback in the death overs, restricting them to 207 all out with three balls left in the innings.

For Lahore, Tom Kohler-Cadmore came out swinging, smashing three sixes and two fours in his quickfire 16-ball 36 before Haris Rauf sent him back in the 18th over.

But it was Shaheen who truly stole the show, with his explosive 36-ball 52 that included five sixes and three fours.

However, even his heroic efforts couldn’t save the Lahore Qalandars from a disastrous start to their run chase.

The Powerplay was a nightmare for the Qalandars, as Wahab Riaz proved why he is the most successful HBL PSL bowler with a double-wicket maiden.

Fakhar Zaman and Sam Billings fell to his deadly left-arm pace in consecutive deliveries in the fifth over, leaving Lahore Qalandars reeling at four down for just 21 runs. And things only got worse from there.

Abdullah Shafique mistimed the ball in the next over, gifting Rovman Powell a fabulous catch at mid-off. And Shawaiz Irfan, making his debut for Lahore Qalandars, played on off Arshad Iqbal in the very first over. Ouch!

Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, Hussain Talat and Shaheen launched a stunning counterattack that had the crowd on their feet.

The duo smashed the ball all over the park, amassing a massive 114-run partnership off just 65 balls.

Shaheen was eventually caught behind off Wahab, but not before he had smashed five sixes and three fours in his electrifying innings.

Sikandar came in next, and he wasn’t about to let Wahab off the hook.

He whipped the left-arm pacer for a boundary on the very first ball and dispatched him for a towering six on the next. But his brave effort would come to an end soon after, as he was dismissed on the last ball of the 18th over after making a quickfire 20 off just seven deliveries.

Hussain continued to battle on, smashing five sixes and four fours in his blistering knock of 63 off 37 balls.

But he too fell in the 19th over to Arshad, and the Lahore Qalandars were eventually bowled out for 172 with just two balls to spare.

Arshad and Wahab finished with three wickets each for 27 and 17 runs respectively, while Azamatullah Omarzai returned two for 40.

Despite the loss, the Qalandars can take some solace in the fact that they currently lead the points table and have already qualified for the PSL 8 playoffs.

The defending champions have 12 points after seven games, while the Zalmi are fourth on the table with six points after four games. But a win for the Babar Azam-led team today increases their chances of making the playoffs significantly.

Scores

Peshawar Zalmi 207 all out, 19.3 overs (Saim Ayub 68, Babar Azam 50, Tom Kohler-Cadmore 36; Shaheen Afridi 4-31, Zaman Khan 2-30, Haris Rauf 2-35, Rashid Khan 2-41)

Lahore Qalandars 172 all out, 19.4 overs (Hussain Talat 63, Shaheen Afridi 52, Sikandar Raza 20; Wahab Riaz 3-17, Arshad Iqbal 3-27, Azmatullah Omarzai 2-40)

Player of the match  – Saim Ayub (Peshawar Zalmi)

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Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024

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Smriti Mandhana and Alyssa Healy (Source - X)

RCB women overcame UP Warriorz by 23 runs to clinch their third win of the season. The home side outperformed Warriorz in all the facets of the game and emerged victorious. A collective team effort, particularly with the bat, helped RCB women to beat Warriorz for the second time in the season. They now have three wins in their five matches in the WPL 2024.

Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field first. Given how things have panned out in the league so far, it needed a great batting performance from RCB to challenge the chasing side. The home side did exactly that. They were full of intent which was lacking in the last few games. Right from the start, S Meghana and Smriti Mandhana smashed the bowlers.

It was the night of the RCB skipper. The Southpaw scored 80(50) in her stay. S Meghana perished after a valuable 28(21). Ellyse Perry batted well and registered her first fifty of the WPL 2024. She was aided well towards the end by Richa Ghosh whose 21(10) propelled RCB to a score of 198 on the board. It was the highest team total in the WPL 2024.

Alyssa Healy’s efforts go in vain

Chasing the daunting total, UP Warriorz were off to a flier. The opening duo of Healy and Kiran Navgire gave a fiery start to the visiting side. When the two were batting in the PP overs, it seemed like the Warriorz could pull off an insane chase. However, Sophie Devine brought RCB back into the game with crucial wickets. At Bengaluru, the home crowd was literally behind the RCB women.

It helped the home side to stay calm and do their job with ease. Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana were the pick of the bowlers, who claimed 2/29 each in their spell of four overs. While Healy scored a fifty and Deepti tried her best in the death overs, ten daunting targets could not be chased down. Despite the early hiccups, RCB managed to restrict UP Warriorz to a score of 175 and won by 23 runs.

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WATCH: Ellyse Perry in disbelief as her six breaks car’s window

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Ellyse Perry smashed a six in the match against UP Warriorz in the WPL 2024. It was an interesting six as the ball travelled towards the boundary ropes and fell exactly on the window of the car. As a result, the glass of the window was broken. The car is set to be provided as a reward for the player of the tournament.

It was the over of Deepti Sharma towards the last few moments of RCB’s innings. Before Perry struck, the home side was in a great position in the match, thanks to a great start provided by Smriti Mandhana. The star batter scored 80 (50) and shined in front of the home crowd. Her form helped RCB to have a good momentum towards the death overs.

Watch the viral video here –

Perry, who was struggling till that point, opened up and smashed the bowlers for fun. She went hard against the spinners like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma who were asked to bowl at the death. The right-handed batter smashed back-to-back sixes in the over of Sharma. One of those travelled towards the mid-wicket region where the car was stationed. The video of her shot has gone viral on X.

RCB teammates laugh, Ellyse Perry in disbelief

As the ball fell on the car and damaged the window, the fans erupted. There was no end to the joy of the fans who started chanting “Perry.. Perry..” and lit the atmosphere of the stadium. However, Perry was in disbelief. As she saw the impact of the ball damaging the car’s window, the Australian batter could not believe her eyes and thought about what she had just done.

On the other hand, the RCB teammates of Perry were in awe of the shot. They looked at the replays and appreciated the shot of Perry. At the same time, players like Sophie Molineux and Sophie Devine had a laugh about the car’s window getting damaged. Ellyse scored a fifty and helped her team score 198 runs with her batting in front of the home crowd.

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Praveen Kumar addresses Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s negligence of taking part in Ranji Trophy

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Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar has given his opinion on the preferences of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in recent times. The duo did not take part in the Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams despite being fit. It did not go well with the Indian Cricket Board which landed the duo without a ventral contract which was announced a few days back.

Praveen Kumar has reacted to the issue recently. The former India pacer claimed that he has been of an opinion on the issue for a long time. Praveen felt that one should definitely earn money but not at the cost of neglecting to play for domestic and national teams. The right-arm pacer felt that players today are having a certain mentality which is not good.

The former pacer claimed that the players have a mindset that they can rest for a month before taking part in the IPL, thereby bypassing playing for their national team or the domestic teams. Praveen felt that the players could not resist letting go of money which they could earn by taking part in the IPL and other T20 leagues (For foreign players).

‘Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun’ – Praveen Kumar

“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun,” said Praveen in the interview. He claimed that youngsters these days are spoilt and are behind money. The former RCB pacer felt that it is not fair on the part of the young players to neglect the country over the IPL.

Kumar felt that a player needs to maintain a balance between playing for the IPL team and for the country. He felt that money is an important factor, but not at the cost of playing for the national team. “But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” said the former Indian bowler in the interview.

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