KARACHI: Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Afridi has insisted that his side’s balance will improve significantly with the return of Fakhar Zaman to the side following their heavy defeat against Islamabad United at the National Bank Stadium in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 on Thursday.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, the reigning champions captain acknowledged the difficulties posed by the lack of key players, but remained optimistic about his team’s prospects in the current tournament.
He highlighted the impact of missing senior players, stressed the importance of maintaining balance and expressed hope for a turnaround as the tournament progresses.
“I’m sure the balance of our team will improve significantly with Fakker back in the lineup. To add to his absence, we were also missing Eamonn due to injury today, which made things even more difficult,” Shaheen said.
“However, injuries and absences are part of the game; we have to deal with them as they come. The tournament is still in its early stages and we have time to turn things around,” he added.
The left-arm pacer admitted that injuries have disrupted the team’s composition in the early stages, but is confident that there is still enough time to regroup and improve.
“It was a day to forget. You have to give full credit to the opposition; they bowled well and were sharp in the field—especially Shadab’s catch was a standout moment,” he said.
Shaheen noted that in the playing conditions, his side expected more bounce on an Australian-style wicket but felt United executed their plans more effectively.
“Given the conditions, we weren’t really surprised by the extra bounce. We expected it to be an Australian wicket, but the opposition deserve credit for continuing to hit the right areas to exploit it,” he concluded.
In the fourth game of the tournament, the Qalandars endured a poor performance with both bat and ball. Batting first, they were bowled out for 100 runs in 18.3 overs.
Sikandar Raza top scored 25 off 19 balls with 3 fours. Hasibullah Khan scored 19 runs off 22 balls and Asif Ali added 15 runs off 12 balls.
Abdullah Shafiq came in with 10 but the rest of the batting line-up failed to make an impact.
Chris Green took 3 wickets for 19 runs in his four overs for Islamabad United. Imad Wasim, Richard Gleeson and Shatab Khan claimed two wickets each, while Faheem Ashraf completed a dominant bowling display.
In reply, Islamabad United reached the target easily losing just one wicket in 10.2 overs.
Devon Conway scored an unbeaten 59 off 35 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes. Mohamed Faik provided brisk support with a 19-ball 34, including 6 fours, as United secured a comprehensive win.