FAISAL MIRZA, HEAD OF PLAYER REQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT

FAISAL MIRZA, HEAD OF PLAYER REQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT

Who am I and why should you care? A question I was asked over 15 years back now for the first time, and my answer that first time was probably the most heartfelt – I am the only Pakistani alive to be endeavouring to get a degree in Sports Marketing, against all odds, and I have a singular aim of changing the way sports is managed in Pakistan. That journey started almost two decades back now, and though I can’t say I’ve achieved all that was needed, we’ve all come a long way, and there’s still a long way to go.

I have been involved in various iterations of what was initially called the Pakistan Premier League and in its current and real incarnation now is called the Pakistan Super League, whether it be concept development of the property, bidding for it, or as now, taking care of a few critical components of the League. I realise this sounds more like a eulogy now, but I’ve been questioned on numerous occasions as to why there’s a paternal tinge to my handling of the PSL – this preceding prologue should give an insight as to why.

The one component held as critical, in fact imperative to the success of any league, is the acquisition of top talent available and attracting them in to the property to be a part of it. This was one of my core areas of responsibility, and while top player acquisition was a very gratifying task, what’s really been heart-warming to see is our local emerging players stand up and be counted. I felt myself stretched beyond reason at times in fighting almost at times, whether within the team or when faced with opposition from team selectors, to not only justify the necessity of these juniors in each team, but also to highlight the long term and immeasurable impact their participation in such a league would mean for their cricketing careers going forward as well as for Pakistan Cricket.

I had the honour and privilege of conducting the first ever Draft conducted in the Sub-continent, for the PSL late last year, and though calling out the names everyone knows – Afridi, Gayle, Malik, Watson, Pietersen, and so on, was a feeling I can’t begin to explain, as it represented the culmination of months of sleepless nights and endless days spent negotiating with Boards, Associations, and agents, what really gave me a sense of fulfilment was when Quetta Gladiators picked Mohammad Nawaz, Peshawar Zalmi picked Mohammad Asghar, and others equally talented youngsters went to various teams.

Seeing Nawaz uproot Watson’s stumps, and watching Zia get the edge of KP’s bat – that has been the high point of my PSL. Not for the cricketing feats they represent, but for the achievement of the efforts of a small and dedicated few driven to change the destiny of Pakistan cricket to mould it to a bigger, brighter vision we all share for it – to take its place among the top echelon of world cricket.

15TH MATCH REPORT: LAHORE QALANDARS VS PESHAWAR ZALMI

Delport shines for Lahore as they seal victory by 4 runs in a thrilling encounter

Lahore Qalandars desperately needed a win to have any hopes of making it through to the play offs, against a Peshawar Zalmi side which is being billed by experts as favourites to win the tournament. Shahid Afridi won the toss and elected to field first. Azhar Ali was back to lead the Qalandars and opened the innings along with Chris Gayle. Junaid Khan bowled the first over was Zalmi and there was drama straight away! He got Lahore’s danger man Chris Gayle once again for a duck, with a fuller delivery that kept low and hit him on the pads. Gayle was extremely unfortunate with that decision, as hawkeye showed that the ball would have swayed down the leg stump. With that dismissal, Zalmi were ecstatic as Cameron Delport made his way in the middle next. He supported Azhar well in the beginning before taking charge as Lahore picked up momentum and began to score some runs.

Darren Sammy picked up Azhar in the 9th over courtesy an easy catch for Tamim Iqbal at deep wicket. Umar Akmal joined Delport in the middle, and these two explosive batsmen let loose and put on an amazing partnership. Both batsmen began to hit the ball cleanly and took on every single bowler. Delport pulled away Wahab Riaz for a spectacular six, while Akmal only dealt in boundaries on the other end. They put on a 100 run partnership before Cameron Delport departed after an impressive knock (78 from 61) in the very last over as he tried to hit one for six off Junaid Khan. Akmal finished the innings with a boundary and remained not out at 52 from 31 balls, as Lahore Qalandars put up a competitive total of 164/3 in their allotted overs.

The tournament’s best opening pair, Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Hafeez started proceedings smoothly for Peshawar Zalmi with some good stroke play early on. It seemed they were going to put on another big partnership together until Azhar Ali took one of the catches of the tournament to dismiss Hafeez cheaply off Kevon Cooper. Tamim kept timing the ball beautifully, with some elegant shots all over the ground. He was joined by Kamran Akmal who looked to play second fiddle, as Tamim was in the form of his life. Just as he was beginning to look dangerous, Tamim (30 from 22) was dismissed by Delport as he played a lazy shot straight into the keeper’s hands. Dawid Malan stepped in next, and both batsmen took their time before they started to score some runs. After spending some time in the middle, Malan dispatched Zohaib Khan for a glorious six, as it was anybody’s match with Peshawar Zalmi at 78/2 after their first ten overs. Kamran Akmal fell in the 11th over as Azhar took another catch, this time off Delport’s bowling as Afridi came on to bat with the crowd going wild.

Once again, Afridi went back as quickly as he came in, after hitting one high up in the air as Delport took his third wicket, in what was turning out to be a great day for him with both bat and ball. Things were looking bleak for Zalmi before Shahid Yousuf and Malan lashed out at Adnan Rasool in the 14th over, putting him away for 20 runs and the stage was set for a thrilling finish. With five overs remaining, Zalmi needed 42 runs with Malan looking well set. Kevon Cooper fielded brilliantly off his own bowling to run out Yousuf as Qalandars began to pile on the pressure in the last few overs. Sammy was next and was dismissed by lofting an easy catch to Zohaib Khan at cover in the same over as Zalmi lost two crucial wickets in quick succession. Malan was caught leg before by Kevon Cooper in the 19th over as the Qalandars celebrated hard sniffing a much needed victory. Ehsan Adil bowled the last over as Zalmi needed 16 runs with Wahab and Junaid batting. Wahab smashed him for a six, and Zalmi needed 6 runs from the last ball to seal victory. Adil bowled a low full toss which Wahab missed, as Qalandars’ fans breathed a sigh of relief! Lahore won the match by 4 runs and can still make it to the play offs, much to the relief of all their fans as another thrilling encounter came to an end in the HBL PSL.

Lahore Qalandars hang on for four-run win

Lahore Qalandars 164 for 3 (Delport 78, Akmal 52*) beat Peshawar Zalmi 160 for 7 (Malan 42, Tamim 30, Delport 3-18, Cooper 3-25) by four runs :

Cameron Delport slammed his third half-century of the season and picked up three crucial wickets, setting up a four-run win for Lahore Qalandars against Peshawar Zalmi in Sharjah. Chasing a stiff target of 165, Peshawar recovered from a top-order wobble through some big hitting from Dawid Malan, but the team did not have enough to get over the line. However, despite the defeat, other results in the tournament meant that Peshawar were through to the playoffs.

Lahore, after being inserted, lost Chris Gayle for a first-ball duck, but Delport put up fifty-plus stands with Azhar Ali (25) and Umar Akmal to seize the advantage. Delport's partnership with Akmal for the third wicket yielded 101 runs; Delport hit six fours and three sixes for his 78, while Akmal's 31-ball 52 featured six fours. Their efforts ensured that Peshawar needed to chase at more than eight an over right from the off.

Just as he had done in the previous game, Tamim Iqbal kept the runs flowing for Peshawar with a quick 30, but the team lost wickets in a cluster to soon fall to 95 for 4. Peshawar needed 70 runs from 46 balls at that time, but Malan blew new wind into his team's chase by blasting a 35-ball 42 with three sixes. His blows brought the equation down to 18 off the last two overs, but Malan was trapped lbw by Kevon Cooper off the first ball in the penultimate over, tilting the contest back Lahore's way. Peshawar needed 16 off the last over, and despite a six from Wahab Riaz, they could only muster 160 for 7. Cooper (3 for 25) and Delport (3 for 18) were the pick of the bowlers for Lahore.

PAKISTAN SUPER LEAGUE Injured Shane Watson out of Pakistan Super League

Injured Shane Watson out of Pakistan Super League:

Islamabad United’s hopes of mounting a comeback in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) were dealt a serious blow after their star all-rounder Shane Watson was ruled out of the remainer of the tournament with an abdominal injury.

Watson, who scored 194 runs and bowled some crucial overs in the five PSL games, was vital to United’s prospects in the league after they slumped to the bottom of the table along with Lahore Qalandars.

It has been learnt that the 34-year-old Aussie is likely to be replaced by former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood, who would join United as a ‘foreign’ player.

The PSL’s official Twitter handle confirmed the news: “JUST IN Bad news for @IsbUnited as their star player @ShaneRWatson33 is out of the #HBLPSL with an abdominal injury.”

Injuries have seriously hampered United’s cause in the PSL with captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Andre Russell and Mohamamd Sami all picking up niggles.

Pakistan Super League's Anti-Corruption Head Warns of Life Ban

Pakistan Super League head Azam Khan said has warned players, team officials and franchise owners of life ban if found guilty of spot fixing or involvement in any other form of corruption during the tournament

Karachi: The head of Pakistan Super League's anti-corruption and security vigilance unit has warned players, team officials and franchise owners of life ban if found guilty of spot fixing or involvement in any other form of corruption during the tournament. (Pakistan Cricket Board Relying on Twenty20 Super League to Boost Revenue)

According to Colonel (retd) Azam Khan, Pakistan Cricket Board had learnt a lot from the corruption scandals that unfolded in other leagues in recent times.

"We learnt a lot from what happened in the IPL and Bangladesh Leagues and there anti-corruption and security models also helped us in finalising our model for the PS. We have put in a strong security, vigilance and anti-corruption plan into place," Azam said.

"We have made it clear to all franchises that players, officials or franchise owners found guilty of any wrong doing or undesirable activities will face a life ban.

"It is a big challenge for us to ensure the PSL is transparent and corruption free. We picked up a lot of things and put them into place from the models of other leagues."

Azam said their task was to ensure the image of Pakistan cricket didn't suffer in PSL.

"We also sought advice from the ICC anti-corruption and security unit in preparing our plan. We have issued sims of one cellular company to everyone in the league and we have round the clock security at the hotel where teams are staying," he added.

Azam said that players and officials had also been advised to avoid using social media networks during the course of the league.

Pakistan Super League Will Find It Hard to Produce Players Like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma: Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis has stated that one should not expect the Pakistan Super League to churn out players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma.

Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis has cautioned his countrymen not to expect the Pakistan Super League to immediately churn out players of the class of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, like the Indian Premier League has done for the game. (Pakistan's World Cup Record Against India At the Back of Our Minds: Waqar Younis)

"I think we shouldn’t keep our expectations high from the PSL in its first year. It will take time say three to four years before we can expect this league to also give us the Virat Kohlis or Rohit Sharmas like the IPL did for India," he said on Saturday from Sydney.

Waqar said obviously expectations were high that the PSL would help Pakistan cricket produce some outstanding talent like the IPL had done for the Indian team.

"But we need to be patient and give it atleast three to four years before we can expect the PSL to mould our young talent into international material players," he said.

Waqar however made it clear that while he understood the desire of the franchises to field the sides they think are best for their requirements, he would like to see more players selected in the Pakistan squad play in the ongoing PSL.

"I don’t know what the cricket board can do because after all this is a commercial entity and franchises have their own businesses and requirements. But it would be good if the players picked in the squad for the Asia Cup and World T20 events are given chances to play in the PSL," the former Test captain said.

Waqar clearly didn’t sound too happy with the way some of the Pakistan selected players have not been given regular chances by their franchises.

"I am a bit surprised that Babar Azam is not playing in all matches and Muhammad Irfan is not being tested out fully,” he added.

Waqar was optimistic that the PSL in the next few years would fill a big void in Pakistan cricket and allow young players the opportunity to groom themselves and become top products.

The Pakistan coach was also candid when asked whether he was satisfied with the squad selected for the two coming events.

"I don’t know whether you have spoken to chief selector Haroon Rasheed but I think it is best you speak to him about this. I was consulted by the selectors but it is their final decision on the squad," he stated.

12TH MATCH REPORT: LAHORE QALANDARS VS KARACHI KINGS

Bopara seals victory for Karachi single handedly with the performance of the tournament!

It was time for the big city derby in what was an important match with both teams sitting at the bottom of the table. The stadium was buzzing with excitement as the crowd poured in huge numbers. Dwayne Bravo was the stand in captain for Qalandars as Azhar Ali was rested, while the Kings were without the injured Mohammad Amir. Qalandars won the toss and elected to bowl first, with Nauman Anwar and Shoaib Malik opening the innings for Kings in what was a surprising move. There was drama in the very first over, with Kevin Cooper dropping an easy catch in the deep which would have sent Nauman back to the pavilion. His luck continued as he was dropped once again by Bravo a few overs later and made them pay with some big shots. Malik also got into his stride as Qalandars kept dropping opportunities at regular intervals. Nauman raced to 35 off 25 deliveries before Zohaib Khan dismissed him as he lofted one in the air and was caught at long on by Umar Akmal, who made no mistake that time. James Vince was next, but he fell cheaply as he played one off Zohaib straight to Bravo. Qalandars were finally beginning to hold on to their catches while Malik kept himself busy on the crease at kept scoring at a steady rate. With ten overs gone Karachi managed 73/2, and set themselves nicely for a decent total.

The dangerous Ravi Bopara joined his captain in the middle on the back of an incredible performance against Peshawar Zalmi. Lahore finally stepped up their game and tightened the screws a little, making it difficult for the batsmen to score freely. Malik was dismissed in the 13th over by Zafar Gohar after scoring 27 from 25 balls. Shakib Al Hasan and Imad Wasim could not stay on the crease for long, as Bopara took the responsibility of ensuring Karachi finished the innings strongly. He took his time to settle in but as soon as that happened, there was no stopping him. Once again, he played a brilliant innings and increased the run rate as he kept hitting boundaries one after the other. Cameron Delport and Chris Gayle added dropped a few more catches as Qalandars were made to suffer due to their lackluster effort in the field. Bopara smashed Bravo for 20 runs in the 19th over, and remained not out for a monumental 71 from 43 deliveries, becoming the highest scorer of the tournament in the process. Karachi finished their innings strongly and got to 178/5 in their 20 overs.

Lahore Qalandars needed almost 9 runs an over as Chris Gayle made his much awaited return to the league in front of a full house at Sharjah after sitting out in the last two games. He was joined by Cameron Delport and both batsmen got off to a decent start, taking no risks in the beginning and concentrated mainly on rotating the strike. Gayle hit Malik for a six straight down the ground in the fifth over as Qalandars began to pick up the pace. Delport also looked good with some beautiful stroke play on the other end. Sohail Tanvir was whacked away for three boundaries in the eigth over as the openers began to dominate proceedings. Both openers began to free their arms once they were set and began hitting the ball cleanly, with Lahore racing to 90/0 in their first ten overs. Delport was particularly impressive with his feet movement against the spinners. He was dismissed after a stellar 55 from 39 balls by Usama Mir as he charged down the ground and was stumped by Mushfiqur Rahim. Karachi Kings took a strategic timeout soon after Delport’s dismissal. The timeout worked wonders for Karachi as Bopara, who has not put a foot wrong in the tournament turned the game around instantly, this time with the ball.

He took out the dangerous Chris Gayle on his very first delivery as he mistimed his shot and sent it into the air for an easy catch. Bopara dismissed Qalandars’ stand in captain Bravo two deliveries later, and suddenly the Kings’ fans began to make some noise. Lahore looked to rebuild through Umar Akmal and Muhammad Rizwan and focused on taking the heat out of the situation with some steady batting. Their partnership was short lived as Bopara bowled an exceptional 16th over. His first victim was Rizwan who was bowled out, next up was Hammad Azam who was unlucky to be given out leg before, and one delivery later Naved Yasin perished in the same over as he was caught at short cover as Bopara was on fire! He took three wickets in four balls, picking up the first five wicket haul of the tournament. He dismissed Umar Akmal next, and also became the highest wicket taker of the league as he ended up with sensational bowling figures of 4-0-16-6. The match was over after his spell, as Karachi sealed a comfortable victory by 27 runs in the end. Bopara’s all round performance in this match was mind blowing as his dream run in the HBL PSL continues.

PSL: Pakistan Super League International and Foreign players

Pakistan Super League first edition not only brought cheers for Pakistan cricket lovers but it has given our domestic players to share the dressing room with International and foreign players.

In this post we have combined the list of International and Foreign playing in five teams of PSL.

Karachi Kings:

International Players: Bilwal Bhatti, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Nauman Anwar, Shahzeb Hassan, Shoaib Malik, Shoail Tanveer and Sohail Khan

Foreign Players: Ravi Bopara (ENG), Shakib Al Hasan (BNG), Mushafiqur Rahim (BNG), Lendl Simmons (WI), James Vince (ENG)

Lahore Qalandars:

International Players: Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzak, Ehsan Adil, Hammad Azam, Sohaib Maqsood, Mukhtar Ahmad, Zafar Gohar, and Mohammad Rizwan

Foreign Players: Chris Gayle (WI) Dwayne Bravo (WI), Davin Cooper (WI), Ajantha Mendis (SRI) and Cameron Delport (SA)

Peshawar Zalmi:

International Players: Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Khan Jr, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Rehman, Aamir and Yamin

Foreign Players: Darren Sammy (WI), Shaun Tait (AUS), Tamim iqbal (BNG), James Allenby (AUS) and Dawid Malan (ENG).

Quetta Gladiators:

International Players: Sarfraz Ahmad , Asad Shafiq, Saad Nasim, Zulfiqar Babar, Bilal Asif, Umar Gul, Anwar Ali, Ahmad Shehzad, Aizaz Cheema and Rameez Raja Jr

Foreign Players: Kevin Pietersen (ENG), Luke Wright (ENG), Kumar Sangakkara (SRI), Thisara Perera (SRI), Elton Chigumbura (ZIM) and Mohammad Nabi (AFG).

Islamabad United:

International Players: Misbah ul Haq, Sharjeel Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Babar Azam, Mohammad Sami, Umar Amin, Mohammad Irfan and Khalid Latif.

Foreign Players: Shane Watson (AUS), Andre Russel (WI), Samuel Badree (WI), Brad Haddin (AUS) and Sam Billings (ENG).

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) continues on Friday with the Karachi Kings taking on Lahore Qalandars at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The team from Karachi come into the game on the back of another loss against Islamabad United by a close two runs on 7 February. It has been a disappointing campaign for the Kings so far, who started brightly, but faded just when better performances were expected from them. Skipper Shoaib Malik has failed to lead from the front, his performances have been listless, scoring just 63 runs in four innings while taking a meager one wicket. In fact, there has been no standout performer for the Karachi outfit so far, apart from Ravi Bopara, who has looked good so far. Karachi Kings have two more games in hand and will need to win all three matches to stay in contention for a semi-final spot. On the other hand, the team at the bottom of the table, Lahore Qalandars, like their opponents Karachi Kings have won just one game in the league. They have struggled to remain consistent both in the batting and bowling departments. Skipper Azhar Ali looks like he is not cut out for the T20 format, being unable to inspire his troops while his batting has stagnated. The biggest disappointment though has been West Indian hard-hitting batsman Chris Gayle, the left-hander has not lived up to his billing as one of the most feared T20 players in the world, scoring just six runs in two games. Gayle has been in such poor form that the team management dropped him from the playing XI in their last game. The Lahore outfit need to win all their remaining games to stay in contention for a place in the knock-out stage. Prediction

Karachi Kings take on the Lahore Qalandars in the 12^th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on 12 February.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) continues on Friday with the Karachi Kings taking on Lahore Qalandars at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The team from Karachi come into the game on the back of another loss against Islamabad United by a close two runs on 7 February.

It has been a disappointing campaign for the Kings so far, who started brightly, but faded just when better performances were expected from them. Skipper Shoaib Malik has failed to lead from the front, his performances have been listless, scoring just 63 runs in four innings while taking a meager one wicket. In fact, there has been no standout performer for the Karachi outfit so far, apart from Ravi Bopara, who has looked good so far. Karachi Kings have two more games in hand and will need to win all three matches to stay in contention for a semi-final spot.

On the other hand, the team at the bottom of the table, Lahore Qalandars, like their opponents Karachi Kings have won just one game in the league. They have struggled to remain consistent both in the batting and bowling departments. Skipper Azhar Ali looks like he is not cut out for the T20 format, being unable to inspire his troops while his batting has stagnated.

The biggest disappointment though has been West Indian hard-hitting batsman Chris Gayle, the left-hander has not lived up to his billing as one of the most feared T20 players in the world, scoring just six runs in two games. Gayle has been in such poor form that the team management dropped him from the playing XI in their last game. The Lahore outfit need to win all their remaining games to stay in contention for a place in the knock-out stage.

today second psl match islamabad vs quetta

After a clinical victory yesterday Islamabad United face the strong Quetta Gladiators in the second match tonight. Which team do you think will come on top?

psl big match peshwer zalmi vs karachi kings

Shahid Afridi XI Peshawar Zalmi face Shohaib Malik XI Karachi Kings in the first match today. ‪#‎HBLPSL‬

‪#‎AskRamiz‬ your questions about the match and the teams involved to get a chance to win exciting prizes.

9TH MATCH REPORT: ISLAMABAD UNITED VS LAHORE QALANDARS

Sharjeel and Watson leave Qalandars clueless as United dominate

With both teams finally getting off the mark in their previous match ups, the stage was set for a close encounter between two evenly matched sides. Islamabad United were led by Shane Watson in Misbah Ul Haq’s absence, who was rested due to a calf injury, while Lahore Qalandars were without their front line batsman Chris Gayle once again. Islamabad won the toss and elected to field first as Azhar Ali and Cameron Delport came out to open the innings for Lahore. Azhar began stroking the ball early into his innings and smashed Watson for 14 runs in only the second over. Lahore were off to a decent start until Mohammad Sami came in to bowl in the third over. He beat Delport with sheer pace on his very first delivery as he bowled a ripper which struck the middle stump. Naved Yasin came out to the middle next, as Azhar kept the runs flowing. After being put away for two boundaries, Sami struck again to dismiss Azhar Ali in the sixth over, who departed after making 27 runs from 18 deliveries. Fresh from an astounding innings from the last game, Umar Akmal made his way on to the pitch as Lahore were 46/2 after six overs.

Umar Akmal announced himself with some convincing shots, including a gigantic six off Saeed Ajmal which landed on the roof! Ajmal bounced back by dismissing Naved in the same over as Brad Haddin caught a beauty behind the stumps. Just as Qalandars were beginning to score runs quickly, United grabbed the crucial wicket of Akmal as he was caught leg before by the young left arm spinner, Imran Khalid. Islamabad were jubilant after that wicket but Lahore Qalandars gained some momentum through Muhammad Rizwan and Dwayne Bravo who were determined to ensure their side got to a big total once again. Both these batsmen kicked up their gears and went after the bowlers with five overs remaining. Rumman Raees was smashed away for 17 runs in the 17th over as Rizwan looked unstoppable. Bravo kept scoring runs until he got run out through some brilliant fielding by Imran Khalid, departing for 26 from 17. Rizwan played aggressively in the end with some fantastic batting, as he made an impressive 50 from 27 balls, propelling Lahore to a decent 166/6 in their allotted overs.

Shane Watson and Sharjeel Khan came out all guns blazing for Islamabad United from the very first over, with Bravo being put away for 14 runs. Sharjeel was in sublime form and made it look all too easy as he hit sixes for fun! Ehsan Adil was taken to the cleaners by Sharjeel, who smashed him for 20 runs in the fourth over through some powerful hitting which left Lahore clueless. Watson was dropped early on by Cameron Delport, a mistake they were made to pay for as he began to free his arms and joined in on the fun. Watson hit the biggest six of the tournament (and there were plenty of big sixes in this match!) against Zafar Gohar, as the two batsmen tore the Qalandars apart. Both these batsmen started bossing the match as the Qalandars bowling were left absolutely clueless. It was raining sixes in Sharjah with both the openers in the form of their life. They quickly raced to their half centuries in quick succession as United looked extremely comfortable at 119/0 after 11 overs.

Watson was dropped once again in the 12th over, something which the Qalandars could not afford at all as the match was already beyond their reach by then. He made sure they were punished by smashing two consecutive sixes off Kevon Cooper right after, and it was only a matter of time before Islamabad wrapped it up. Shane Watson finally departed after a super catch behind the stumps from Muhammad Rizwan off Ehsan Adil, after an outstanding knock of 79 from 47 balls. The opening stand put together 153 runs on the board in what was a brutal partnership. Andre Russell was also sent back to the pavilion but it did not matter at all as Islamabad had pretty much sealed their victory by then. Sharjeel Khan finished the match with back to back sixes as he remained not out after scoring 79 from only 43 deliveries. United won the match by eight wickets, with 4 overs to spare, as Qalandars suffered another soul crushing defeat in the HBLPSL. Islamabad United are flying high after a disappointing start in the league, and have started to play some great cricket. Lahore Qalandars continue to struggle as they remain on the bottom of the points table.Sharjeel and Watson leave Qalandars clueless as United dominate

With both teams finally getting off the mark in their previous match ups, the stage was set for a close encounter between two evenly matched sides. Islamabad United were led by Shane Watson in Misbah Ul Haq’s absence, who was rested due to a calf injury, while Lahore Qalandars were without their front line batsman Chris Gayle once again. Islamabad won the toss and elected to field first as Azhar Ali and Cameron Delport came out to open the innings for Lahore. Azhar began stroking the ball early into his innings and smashed Watson for 14 runs in only the second over. Lahore were off to a decent start until Mohammad Sami came in to bowl in the third over. He beat Delport with sheer pace on his very first delivery as he bowled a ripper which struck the middle stump. Naved Yasin came out to the middle next, as Azhar kept the runs flowing. After being put away for two boundaries, Sami struck again to dismiss Azhar Ali in the sixth over, who departed after making 27 runs from 18 deliveries. Fresh from an astounding innings from the last game, Umar Akmal made his way on to the pitch as Lahore were 46/2 after six overs.

Umar Akmal announced himself with some convincing shots, including a gigantic six off Saeed Ajmal which landed on the roof! Ajmal bounced back by dismissing Naved in the same over as Brad Haddin caught a beauty behind the stumps. Just as Qalandars were beginning to score runs quickly, United grabbed the crucial wicket of Akmal as he was caught leg before by the young left arm spinner, Imran Khalid. Islamabad were jubilant after that wicket but Lahore Qalandars gained some momentum through Muhammad Rizwan and Dwayne Bravo who were determined to ensure their side got to a big total once again. Both these batsmen kicked up their gears and went after the bowlers with five overs remaining. Rumman Raees was smashed away for 17 runs in the 17th over as Rizwan looked unstoppable. Bravo kept scoring runs until he got run out through some brilliant fielding by Imran Khalid, departing for 26 from 17. Rizwan played aggressively in the end with some fantastic batting, as he made an impressive 50 from 27 balls, propelling Lahore to a decent 166/6 in their allotted overs.

Shane Watson and Sharjeel Khan came out all guns blazing for Islamabad United from the very first over, with Bravo being put away for 14 runs. Sharjeel was in sublime form and made it look all too easy as he hit sixes for fun! Ehsan Adil was taken to the cleaners by Sharjeel, who smashed him for 20 runs in the fourth over through some powerful hitting which left Lahore clueless. Watson was dropped early on by Cameron Delport, a mistake they were made to pay for as he began to free his arms and joined in on the fun. Watson hit the biggest six of the tournament (and there were plenty of big sixes in this match!) against Zafar Gohar, as the two batsmen tore the Qalandars apart. Both these batsmen started bossing the match as the Qalandars bowling were left absolutely clueless. It was raining sixes in Sharjah with both the openers in the form of their life. They quickly raced to their half centuries in quick succession as United looked extremely comfortable at 119/0 after 11 overs.

Watson was dropped once again in the 12th over, something which the Qalandars could not afford at all as the match was already beyond their reach by then. He made sure they were punished by smashing two consecutive sixes off Kevon Cooper right after, and it was only a matter of time before Islamabad wrapped it up. Shane Watson finally departed after a super catch behind the stumps from Muhammad Rizwan off Ehsan Adil, after an outstanding knock of 79 from 47 balls. The opening stand put together 153 runs on the board in what was a brutal partnership. Andre Russell was also sent back to the pavilion but it did not matter at all as Islamabad had pretty much sealed their victory by then. Sharjeel Khan finished the match with back to back sixes as he remained not out after scoring 79 from only 43 deliveries. United won the match by eight wickets, with 4 overs to spare, as Qalandars suffered another soul crushing defeat in the HBLPSL. Islamabad United are flying high after a disappointing start in the league, and have started to play some great cricket. Lahore Qalandars continue to struggle as they remain on the bottom of the points table.

PSL T20 Live Score & Streaming: Islamabad United beat Lahore Qalandars by 8 wickets

SHARJAH (Staff Report) – Islamabad United defeated Lahore Qalandars by eight wickets in Pakistan Super League (PSL) ninth T20 match on Wednesday.

Islamabad United won the toss and invited Lahore Qalandars to bat.

Lahore Qalandars bats first in Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20 9th match and set 167-run target for Islamabad United on Wednesday.

Islamabad United captain Shane Watson won the toss and elected to field first against Lahore Qalandars in the ninth match of inaugural edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) here at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Watson assumed the duties of captaining the United in absence of Misbah-ul-Haq, who has been rested for being injured.

Both Lahore and Islamabad have each played three games at PSL so far, winning one game each as well. The match will further decide about the journey of two teams in the T20 event as the losing team would be in serious danger of being removed in the first round.

Pakistan Super League 2016 February 10, 2016 Watson, Sharjeel blitz gives Islamabad second win

A display of uninhibited hitting from Shane Watson and Sharjeel Khan helped Islamabad United secure an eight-wicket win over Lahore Qalandars in Sharjah on Wednesday night. A second successive victory meant Islamabad also lifted themselves off the bottom of the points table.

Watson, leading Islamabad after Misbah-ul-Haq failed to recover from a calf injury, smashed a 47-ball 79. Sharjeel matched him stroke-for-stroke in a 153-run opening stand before Ehsan Adil had Watson caught down the leg side, with Islamabad needing just 14 more. Andre Russell, promoted to No. 3, holed out for 2, but Sharjeel finished the game off with back-to-back sixes as Islamabad won with 25 balls and eight wickets to spare. Sharjeel finished unbeaten on 79 off 43 balls.

Lahore didn't make things easy for them as they gave Watson a reprieve on 11 when Cameron Delport put down a chance at square leg off Kevon Cooper. It proved to be a costly miss as Watson used the short side boundaries in Sharjah as his ally by crunching four fours and seven sixes.

The chase was kickstarted by Sharjeel, who hit Ehsan Adil for 20 runs off the fifth over. Watson caught on from there, doing a bulk of the scoring over the next seven overs off which 70 runs were scored. Watson was the first to raise his half-century off 37 balls, while Sharjeel brought up his own off just 26 deliveries.

With the personal landmarks out of the way, both batsmen continued their nonchalant display of six-hitting as Cooper's second over went for 25 to reduce the target down to 23 off the last eight overs. The lack of sting in the bowling seemed to have had a deflating effect on Lahore Qalandars, even though they managed two wickets as the batsmen fell to big shots.

The ferocity of the hitting was such that Lahore's effort with that bat, which was fuelled byMohammad Rizwan almost went unnoticed. Rizwan, who came in to bat with the scorecard reading 89 for 4 in the 13th over, marshalled the lower order to hit an unbeaten 27-ball 50, including five fours and three sixes. It helped repair the early damage caused by Mohammad Sami and Saeed Ajmal.

The last five overs fetched 58, but any thoughts of 166 being a potentially defendable total were quashed by the belligerence of Watson and Sharjeel as Lahore Qalandars, who were without the services of Chris Gayle because of flu, slumped to the bottom of the table.

Pakistan Super League February 10, 2016 Flower blooms in journey of T20 discovery

The last the world remembers of Andy Flower, he was watching his Rome burn around him. The England team he had transformed from 51 all out in the Caribbean into winners of three successive Ashes series - with a stint as World No.1, a World T20 title and a series win in India thrown in for good measure - were reduced to smouldering ruins by Australia.

In the eyes of many he had morphed into a cartoon villain, the demon headmaster whose strengths had slowly become his weaknesses under the strain of five relentless years in charge.

Where once he had been loyal, now he appeared obstinate, his determination had become belligerence and the respect he had once ruled with appeared to be approaching something closer to fear.

He has, of course, not disappeared off the face of the earth. Within two months of his resignation he was safely ensconced in a new role at the ECB, as 'technical director of elite coaching', but it was out of the limelight - even if taking on the role of England Lions head coach in mid-2014 pushed him a little closer to the glare of the media.

Now though he has a new challenge, as assistant coach of Peshawar Zalmi in the inaugural Pakistan Super League, a first dip of a toe into T20 franchise waters that feels slightly ironic given the friction they have caused the ECB in recent years.

The role, though, seems to be one Flower is relishing, a smile - a sight all too often absent in the latter stages of his England reign - is firmly back on his face. There was even the odd joke, admittedly unlikely to trouble the scorers at the Perrier Awards, but the sign of a man clearly enjoying himself more than the last time he appeared before the media hordes.

So what then of the differences between the international stage and his new job?

"The assistant coach's position is a nice job to have," he said, with a smile, after a fairly long pause for thought. "You don't have some of the other responsibilities that a head coach has and you can develop a different type of relationship with the players, so I've really loved my first few days here."

For Flower too this was an opportunity to shake off the image he had left behind, that of the stony faced captain joylessly steering his ship onto the rocks. When questioned whether his style was at odds with that of Peshawar's maverick captain Shahid Afridi, he offered a wry grin.

"I know him fairly well from playing against him a long time ago," the emphasis on long almost certainly not a deliberate joke about the rumours surrounding his skipper's age, but amusing nonetheless.

"Reputations can sometimes be misleading and the things you read in the press can sometimes be misleading. There's a nice easy atmosphere in the dressing room, so it's a really enjoyable position for me to hold, it's a nice coaching job," he said, adding "thank you" as an afterthought as if pleased to be able to express the sentiment.

This more relaxed edition of Flower seems to be a hit with his players as well. Darren Sammy, a man who could probably look laid-back and cheerful in a warzone - or in the WICB offices for that matter - has clearly benefitted from the input of his coach.

Flower dusted off his trusty old dog-thrower for pre-tournament practice to give the big Saint Lucian a session of throw-downs - interspersed, you imagine, with more than the odd piece of sage advice. Lessons Sammy appeared to have taken onboard three days later when his rearguard innings almost snuck a win after his team's fairly disastrous start.

"He's been great you know," said Sammy after that narrow defeat. "Obviously it's a big change between the roles he's played before but he's been fantastic. He has a good cricket brain and with the success he's had coaching, especially with England, taking them to No.1 he knows a lot about batting, especially in these type of conditions, so I think he's been good. It's a great mix, the guys have gelled really well together, coaches and players."

They say players learn new things playing franchise tournaments, perhaps the same is true for coaches too, with Sammy's natural ebullience rubbing off on Flower - it would certainly appear so given his new-found penchant for smiling.

There has also been a reminder too of the man of real moral character, marked out, on this day 13 years ago, by his black armband protest with Henry Olonga in Zimbabwe, as he deliberately took the time to acknowledge the work his franchise had done in bringing 150 students over from the Army Public School in Peshawar - scene of a horrific terrorist attack in 2014.

"It is nice being involved in a franchise and an owner that have included a cause greater than just winning a tournament."

This, then, appears to be Flower unchained, a man unburdened from the need to win at all costs and the never-ending grind of the international calendar, a man happy it seems to be slowly painting a new picture of himself.