Cricket News
PSL 2023: Quetta Gladiators skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed blames bowlers after dismal batting display vs Lahore Qalandars
Lahore Qalandars sit atop the PSL 2023 points table with 5 wins and one loss from six games accounting for 10 points.
Sarfaraz Ahmed, the captain of the Quetta Gladiators, attributed the team’s subpar performance in the recent Pakistan Super League (PSL) encounter against the Lahore Qalandars at the Rawalpindi cricket stadium to his bowlers. Sarfaraz was angry during the post-game conference over the team’s inability to score runs, but he swiftly deflected the burden to his bowlers.
He claimed that despite taking early wickets within the first ten overs, bowlers ended up giving up too many runs, letting the team down. “We made a lot of mistakes. We didn’t ball well in the first ten overs, even after taking seven wickets. It was a complete setback performance from our team. We aimed to restrict Lahore under 100 runs, but it didn’t happen as we didn’t ball at the right areas,” he said. “We gave away 52 runs in the next six overs, which easily shifted the momentum towards the Qalandars,” he added.
Sarfaraz Ahmed scored run-a-ball 25 in a forgettable batting effort
In criticising his bowling strategy, Sarfaraz Ahmed made no mention of his weak batting effort. With just one four from his bat, the wicketkeeper-batsman scored 25 runs off 25 deliveries. Because of Quetta Gladiators’ ten runs in five overs between the 10th and 15th overs, Lahore Qalandars won the match.
Sarfaraz Ahmed also received criticism for his subpar batting performance from the former Pakistani head coach. “Sarfaraz Ahmed has scored 25 runs in 25 deliveries. A man who came in at number six is supposed to be a finisher with a strike rate of 150 or 160. Sarfaraz has a strike rate of 100 today; you aren’t going to win games like that,” he said.
Speaking of the game, the Quetta Gladiators won the toss and decided to bowl first. But, their advantage went in vain as Lahore Qalandars reached 148, riding on Sikandar Raza‘s 71 off 34. They were bowled out with four balls remaining. In reply, the Quetta Gladiators had a forgettable night as they missed out on what seemed to be a regular chase. They only reached 131/7 within 20 overs to lose the game by 17 runs.
