LAHORE: Quetta Gladiators captain and opener Saud Shakeel reflected on his side’s narrow loss to Lahore Qalandars, praising Faqar Zaman’s exceptional innings while also highlighting the missed opportunities.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Shakeel admitted that even though his team managed to pull things back with the ball at the death, the target of 200 felt like an even score on the Gaddafi Stadium surface.
“It was a good quality knock by Fakker but we pushed things back with the ball. 200 is an even score on this surface. I think we were in a good phase of batting at one stage but Roseau’s wicket hurt us,” Shakeel said.
The opener further explained that the timing of key exits from the gladiators changed the momentum at critical stages of the chase.
Despite the setback, he remained optimistic about the team’s qualification prospects, stressing the importance of focusing only on controllable factors in their final league match.
“Had he stayed a couple of overs, the match would have been different. Even if there is a 1 per cent chance (of their qualification) to qualify, I think you will be optimistic. We will not focus on things that are out of our control, but there is one more match and we will try to win it,” he said.
Earlier, Lahore Qalandars posted 197-6, powered by Faqar Zaman’s 51-ball 103, his third PSL century, while Quetta were 188-7 despite half-centuries from Riley Roseau and Shamil Hussain.
For the uninitiated, the Gladiators will face Karachi Kings in their last league-level game on April 25.