Lahore Qalandars knocked out Peshawar Zalmi out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after beating them by four wickets in the elimination playoff on Friday.
As a result Lahore will take on Multan Sultans in the final on Saturday in a repeat of last year’s title match.
Unheralded opening batter Mirza Baig (54) hit his maiden PSL half-century to lead Lahore to 176-6. Lahore became the first team to chase successfully in eight PSL games at Lahore this season.
Peshawar put up 171-5, led by Mohammad Haris with 85 off 54 balls after skipper Babar Azam chose to bat first in overcast conditions.
“After 10 overs the ball reversed a little bit for the pacers and it became a little difficult,” Babar said. “In the end, our bowling was not up to the mark, we were good for eight to nine overs in the field, but not the full 20 (overs).
It was Shaheen Shah Afridi who finished the game in style with a straight four and a six off consecutive balls against Irshad, who returned an expensive 1-42.
A video which went viral on social media after the game shows Shaheen Afridi consoling his counterpart Babar Azam after the game.
Watch the heart-warming video here:
Babar and Shaheen 🤩
Unbreakable bond 🤝#LQvPZpic.twitter.com/iGcHYbcX56
— Cricket Pakistan (@cricketpakcompk) March 17, 2023
In this edition of the PSL, Babar Azam scored 522 runs across 11 matches at an average of 52.20 and a strike rate of 145.40.