In the previous season of the Pakistan Super League, Lahore Qalandars won five of their first six games (PSL). They only needed to win one more game to make the playoffs, but they lost their final four, finishing with the second-worst net run rate in the league. They’re the only team in the league that hasn’t won a title in the last six years.
The fifth season was the most successful for Qalandars, as they reached the final but were defeated by Karachi Kings.
Improving Qalandars
The nucleus of the Qalandars has remained intact, with Rashid Khan returning as a key foreign recruit and Shaheen Shah Afridi being promoted to captain. They’ll be worried about Mohammad Hafeez’s form, as he hasn’t played well since scoring at the World Cup in 2020.
Yorkshire batsman Harry Brook has joined the Qalandars to improve the middle order, according to ESPNCricinfo, albeit he will miss the first three games, giving Durham fast bowler Mathew Potts a chance to contribute.
Meanwhile, Otago allrounder Dean Foxcroft will be looking to resume his career after missing the last two domestic seasons in New Zealand due to border limitations enforced by Covid. Foxcroft’s most recent competitive match occurred in March 2020.
Without a doubt, Shaheen Shah Afridi is the Lahore Qalandars’ biggest game-changer, with the ability to swing the scales in their favor. The fast bowler was awarded the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year for 2021 after winning the prized Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.
Last year, he averaged 22.20 with 78 wickets in 36 internationals. His most famous achievements came in the T20 World Cup, where he, together with Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli, took seven wickets in six games in Pakistan’s group-stage match against India, advancing them to the semi-finals.
This PSL season, he’ll do a new hat as Qalandars’ captain, captaining a team at the senior level for the first time at such a young age. Since the start of 2021, Rashid has taken 85 wickets in 57 T20s, which is 24 more than anyone else. Rashid’s recent wicket-taking surge came after he only grabbed 121 wickets in 101 T20s between 2019 and 2020, striking one every 19.1 deliveries, compared to once every 15.2 balls since 2021. His economy, on the other hand, is the same in both eras – 6.62 (2019-2020) and 6.6 (2016-2017). (2016-2017). (since the year 2021).
Captain: Shaheen Shah Afridi
Coach: Aaqib Javed
Full squad:
Shaheen Shah Afridi (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hafeez, David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique, Ben Dunk, Mathew Potts, Kamran Ghulam, Dean Foxcroft, Sohail Akhtar, Zeeshan Ashraf, Ahmed Danyal, Zaman Khan, Maaz Khan, Samit Patel, Syed Faridoun, Imran Randhawa, Akif Javed.
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