Twitter Reactions: Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi help Qalandars trump Zalmi in high-scoring clash

Lahore Qalandars. (Photo by ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)

After taking a break for a day, the Pakistan Super League 2023 returned to enthral the fans with some riveting cricketing action on February 26 (Sunday). Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi were up against each other in Match 15 of the competition at Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore.

Qalandars captain Shaheen Afridi won the toss and elected to bat first. However, his team got off to a miserable start as opener Mirza Tahir Baig lost his stumps against Wahab Riaz in the second over after scoring just five runs.

His dismissal brought Abdullah Shafique to the crease who put on a batting masterclass with Fakhar Zaman as they ripped apart the Zalmi bowling line up with a massive partnership of 120 runs off 69 balls.

However, the partnership was ended as Riaz picked up his second wicket, dismissing Shafique for 75 off 41 balls. S

am Billings walked to the crease at No. 4 and straight away got into the act with an 88-run stand with Zaman off just 30 balls, as both unleashed their beast mode on Zalmi bowlers.

Zaman fell just four runs short of his hundred, getting dismissed on 96 off 45 balls. by Rovman Powell. He clobbered three fours and ten sixes in his innings. On the other hand, Billings remained unbeaten on 47 off 23 balls as the Qalandars posted a massive 241/3 in their allotted 20 overs.

Shaheen Afridi’s five-wicket haul set up Qalandars’ victory

Zalmi got off to a miserable start while chasing, losing openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris inside three overs. Seeing their side in disarray, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Saim Ayyub added 91 runs for the third wicket in just 44 balls.

The partnership was broken in the 11th over by Haris Rauf as Kohler-Cadmore departed for 55 off 23 balls while Ayub got dismissed in the next over by Rashid Khan after scoring 51 off 34 balls.

Following their dismissals, no other batter could keep up with the required run rate. As a result, they finished their innings on 201/9, handing a 40-run win to the Qalandars. Shaheen Afridi was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped five wickets for 40 runs in his four overs.

Here’s how Twitter Reacted: