Sikandar Raza takes 10-hour flight to Lahore, wins PSL for Lahore Qalandars

Lahore Qalandars on Sunday night became champions of Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the third time, defeating Quetta Gladiators in a nail-biting final. Chasing a target of 202 runs, Lahore sealed the win in the last over, owing it to a sensational cameo by Sikandar Raza.

The most remarkable part of the final was the arrival of Raza, who finished playing a Test match for Zimbabwe against England in the hours leading to the PSL final. He then took a 10-hour flight and reached the stadium in Lahore, only ten minutes before the toss.

Despite the hectic journey, Raza stepped up when Lahore needed him the most. With eight runs required off the last three balls, he smashed a six and a four to take his team over the line. He remained unbeaten on 22 runs off just seven balls, turning the game in Lahore's favour in the final moments.

He then undertook an intense travel journey that included a 7-hour flight from Birmingham to Dubai (5,500 km), followed by a 1.5-hour drive to Abu Dhabi (140 km), and finally a 3.5-hour flight to Lahore, Pakistan (approximately 2,100 km). Raza reached the stadium only ten minutes before the toss, making his appearance nothing short of heroic.

“I had dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, and drove to Abu Dhabi for lunch. Took a flight and had a dinner in Pakistan. This is the life of a professional cricketer. I’m truly humbled and blessed to have the life,” Raza said in the post match discussion.

Earlier, Quetta Gladiators won the toss and elected to bat first, putting up a competitive total of 201 runs for nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Quetta's Mohammad Nawaz was the standout performer with the bat, scoring a brilliant 76 runs off 43 balls, including four sixes and eight fours. Faheem Ashraf played a fiery innings, scoring 28 off eight balls while Avishka Fernando contributed 28 runs off 22 balls.

For Lahore, Shaheen Afridi took three wickets, while Haris Rauf and Salman Mirza took two wickets each.

Lahore's chase started cautiously with Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Naeem. Fakhar was dismissed for 11 by Abrar Ahmed whereas Faheem Ashraf claimed Naeem’s scalp for 47 runs, ending the batter’s rather aggressive knock.

While Kusal Perera remained not out with 62 runs off 31 balls, Sikandar Raza's match-winning innings of 22 runs off just seven balls sealed the victory for Lahore.

On Quetta's side, Mohammad Amir, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq took one wicket each.