Same old Lahore Qalandars!
Here we are again, discussing the penchant of Qalandars to finish last in Pakistan Super League. What else could it be? Each year, it is the players fault. Brendan McCullum, who was supposed to be the saviour was now discussed as a hurdle in achieving success. Season 1, it was Azhar Ali. This time also, similar stories started to appear about Fakhar Zaman. Perhaps, it is time that the team managed was faced some opprobrium for the fans and the ownership. It is time for change.
Resolute Peshawar fall at the final hurdle
The one who out performed all
This was more like a lottery with the Qalandars. You could pick 3 to 4 players, none of them significantly better than others but not good to make a difference. So, I would go with a fealty choice of Shaheen Shah Afridi. He was instrumental in ensuring that Qalandars were in the game for a while. He played 8 games, missing two with injuries. But he was impressive in them, swinging the ball late and bowling killer in-dippers. He picked up 10 wickets in 8 games. With a better team, and captain he could have won his team matches singlehandedly. But somehow Lahore under used him or brought him back too late. Also, there was business of him batting at 6. That shouldn’t happen too often.
The one breakthrough star
At least their much touted player development came to fore this season. Haris Rauf, whose claim to fame was bowling to Virat Kohli in nets, proved that the program is working well. Despite his rawness, he showed that he has skills which can make him a good enough. 11 wickets in 10 games was a half decent debut season for the pacer. Can Lahore improve his skill set and bring consistency?
The one who revived his career
This was a good PSL for David Wiese and he could end up getting a couple of more contracts on the back of this performance. Although, this performances largely came with bat. His match winning six of the last ball, a couple of other cameos could be seen as an improvement. However, his bowling was unremarkable as such.
The one(s) who lead
Mohammad Hafeez, AB De Villiers and finally Fakhar Zaman, these men led the Qalandars. ABD, did play one match winning innings but that was it. Hafeez, got injured early in the tournament and Fakhar was also underwhelming. These choices these men made, also didn’t have an impact. For example, giving someone like a Mohammad Hassan turned out to be a poor decision. Perhaps, their hand was forced as Hassan was no longer in the emerging category. But from team selection to decisions on the field, a lot of things went wrong for Lahore Qalandars. This time around, it can be just blamed on one captain.
