Star Australia left-hand batter David Warner expressed interest in competing in the Pakistan Super League 2023 (PSL). The batter made his intention known by leaving a comment on Afghanistan and Lahore Qalandars spinner Rashid Khan’s Instagram post.
The Afghan spinner thanked the supporters in the Instagram post for coming out to watch his team play against the Quetta Gladiators. He wrote, “What a game last night thanks to the crowd for the great support. Superstars of the night [Sikandar Raza and Haris Rauf].”
As several players and followers commented on Rashid’s Instagram post, Australia’s explosive white-ball specialist, Warner, commented: “When can I play?” His comment has quickly gone viral on the internet, with his fan in Pakistan hoping to see him play in their country soon. Warner, who was playing against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series, returned home missing the last two Tests after an elbow fracture and concussion ruled him out, as per Cricket Australia officials.
Lahore Qalandar beat Quetta Gladiators by 17 runs in PSL 2023
Speaking of the PSL game, the Quetta Gladiators won the toss and decided to bowl first. The Lahore Qalandars were off to a shaky start as their top-order batters failed to reach double figures. Sikandar Raza’s unbeaten 71 off 34 resulted to be crucial as Lahore reached a competitive total of 148 before being bowled out in the final over. Both Muhammad Nawaz and Naveen ul-Haq returned with two wickets each for the Gladiators.
In reply, the Gladiators were off to a decent start, provided by opener Will Smeed’s 32 off 25. However, the Gladiators succumbed to a batting collapse soon afterwards. Skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed‘s slow innings of 27 off 28 created a lot of controversy as his side missed out on what should have been a regular chase. They only reached 131/7 within their 20 overs.
Sarfaraz, however, shifted the blame onto his bowlers. He said, “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. We gave away 52 runs in the next six overs, which easily shifted the momentum towards the Qalandars.”
